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STUDIES  AND  NOTES 


PHILOLOGY  AND  LITERATURE 


Vol.  IV 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus 


WILLIAM  HENRY  SCHOFIELD 


PUBLISHED  UNDER  THE    DIRECTION  OV  THE 

MODERN   LANGUAGE   DEPARTMP:NT.S   OF   HARVARD   UNIVERSITY 

By  GINN  &  COMPANY,  13  Tremont  Place,  Boston 

1895 


i      .. 


SANTA  BAPvBARA 


?? 


CONTENTS. 


Introduction      ...... 

Comparison  of  the  Four  Poems  . 

I.     Introduction     .... 

II.     At  the  Court     .... 

III.  The  Adventure  at  the  Ford 

IV.  The  Fight  with  the  Three  Avengers 
V.     The  Adventure  with  the  Giants 

VI.     The  Sparrow-hawk  Adventure  . 
VII.     The  Dispute  about  the  Dog 
VIII.     At  the  lie  d'Or 
IX.     The  Adventure  with  Lampart    , 

X.     The  Rescue  of  the  Enchanted  Lady 
XI.     The  Conclusion 
XII.     Continuation  of  BI    . 
Wherein  the  Poems  agree 
LD-Car.  opposed  to  BI 
LD-Car.-Wig.  opposed  to  BI 
Relation  of  LD  to  BI 

I.     Proper  Names    . 
II.     Borrowings  of  BI  from  jErec 
Changes  introduced  by  Renaud  . 
Renaud's  Use  of  the  Perceval 
Renaud's  Knowledge  of  Tristan 


PAGE 

I 

4 
4 
6 

12 

i6 
i8 

25 
32 
36 

42 

47 
53 
54 
56 
56 
58 
59 
59 
60 
106 
139 
145 


iv  Con  tints. 

PACK 

The  Origin  anil  Development  of  the  Story ,         .145 

Comparison  with  rerfdur  .         .  .         .         .  .  .  .147 

Version  A  .  .        .        •        .  .        •     1 54 

Version  h .  .  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         •      '57 

The  Sparrow-hawk  Adventure     .         .         .         .         ,         .         .         .164 

The  Adventure  with  the  Dog       .  ......      171 

Heads  on  Poles         .         .         . '75 

Ciliglois     .............      180 

Carduino  ............         -183 

The  Stay  with  the  Enchantress  .........      197 

Disenchantment  by  Means  of  a  Kiss  ........     199 

Wigalois  .............     208 

The  French  Prose  Redaction      .........     239 

Wolfram's  Parzival  ...........     240 

References  to  LD  in  Later  English  Literature 241 

Appendix.     Proper  Names  in  Le  Bel  Inconnii    ......     243 


STUDIES    ON    THE    LIBEAUS    DESCONUS. 

IN  the  following  investigation ^  attention  will  be  directed  mainly  to 
the  following  four  poems  :  the  Middle  English  Libeatis  Des- 
conus,  the  old  French  Guinglain  or  Le  Bel  Inconnu,  the  Italian 
Cardidno,  and  the  Middle  High  German  Wigalois? 

The  English  poem  contains  some  2232  hnes  in  tail- rhyme  strophe. 
It  is  in  the  dialect  of  the  south  of  England,  probably  that  of  Kent 
or  some  neighboring  district,  and  was  probably  written  about  1350. 
The  author  may  be  said  to  be  entirely  unknown  to  us,  although 
Sarrazin^  and  Kaluza*  hold,  on  insufficient  evidence,  that  the  poem 
was  written  in  whole  or  in  part  by  Thomas  Chestre,  the  author  of 
the  Launfal.  It  has  been  four  times  edited,  by  Ritson  in  1802,^  by 
Hippeau  in  i860,®  by  Hales  and  Furnivall  in  1868/  and  by  Kaluza 
from  six  MSS.  in  1890.  It  is  to  Kaluza's  excellent  critical  edition 
that  I  shall  always  refer  in  this  investigation. 


1  This  study,  in  a  form  somewhat  more  extended,  was  presented  on  April  30th, 
1895,  *^°  ^^  Faculty  of  Arts  and  Sciences  of  Harvard  University  for  the  acqui- 
sition of  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy.  I  take  this  opportunity  of 
expressing  my  gratitude  to  Professors  Child  and  Sheldon  for  their  counsel  and 
encouragement  in  its  preparation.  I  am,  however,  especially  indebted  to  Pro- 
fessor Kittredge,  whose  constant  help  has  been  invaluable.  He  and  Professor 
Sheldon  have  had  the  great  kindness  to  read  the  entire  work  in  proof. 

2  The  following  contractions  are  regularly  used  in  this  paper :  LD  for  the 
Middle  English  Libeaus  Desconus  (or  its  hero) ;  BI  for  the  Old  French  Bel 
Inconnu  (or  its  hero);   Car.  for  Carduino ;  Wig.  for  Wigalois. 

8  Sarrazin,  Octavian,  Heilbronn,  1885,  Inirod.,  pp.  xxv  ff. 

*  Altengl.  Bibliothek,  Vol.  V,  Inirod.,  p.  clxiii.  For  all  matters  pertaining  to 
the  MSS.,  metre,  grammar  and  the  like,  see  the  introduction  to  this  edition.  On 
the  question  as  to  Chestre's  authorship  of  LD,  see  Mennung,  Der  Bel  Inconnu, 
pp.  32-3;  Breul,  Engl.  Studien,  IX,  459-466;  Hausknecht,  Litblatt.,  1886, 
col.  138;   etc. 

5  Ancient  Engl.  Met.  Romance'es,  London,  1802,  H,  1-90;  ed.  Goldsmid, 
Edinb.,  1885,  II,  35-98. 

s  At  the  end  of  his  edition  of  Le  Bel  Inconnu,  Paris,  i860,  pp.  241-330. 

■^  Percy's  Folio  MS.,  London,  1868,  II,  415-499;   cf.  Introd.,  pp.  404-415. 
B  I 


2  II :  II.  SchoficU. 

L/  Bel  Iruonnu  is  preserved  in  a  uni(iiic  manuscript  belonging  to 
the  library  of  the  Due  d'Aumale.  The  poet  in  concluding  gives  his 
name  as  Renals  ile  Hiauju,  or,  as  usually  written,  Renaud  de  Beaujeu. 
He  is  only  known  to  us  otherwise  as  the  author  of  a  song,  one  stanza 
of  which  is  preserved  in  Le  Ronuiit  </e  Ai  Rose  on  dc  Gii  ilia  tunc  de 
DoU}  As  Gaston  Paris  says,"  this  citation  shows,  however,  that 
he  was  a  knight  and  that  his  song  was  well  known  before  the  year 
1 200.  The  romance  also  was  probably  written  in  the  closing  years 
of  the  twelfth  century.  Mennung  puts  it  at  about  the  year  1190.' 
The  song,  says  Paris,  "  en  I'appelant  le  bon  chevalier,  confirme  bien 
la  conclusion  a  laquelle  amene  la  lecture  de  son  pofeme,  oeuvre  d'un 
homme  du  monde  plutot  que  d'un  trouveur  de  profession."  Le  Bel 
Inconnii  has  been  but  once  edited,  and  that  in  an  entirely  unsatis- 
factory manner,  by  Hippeau  in  i860.  A  new  edition  has  been  long 
promised  by  Professor  Wendelin  Foerster.* 

The  Italian  Carduino  is  a  short  poem  containing  only  two  cantari 
of  thirty-five  and  seventy-two  stanzas  respectively  in  ottava  rima. 
As  Professors  d'Ancona  and  Rajna  believe,  it  was  in  all  probability 
written  by  Antonio  Pucci  about  1375.  It  was  well  edited  by  Rajna 
in  1873.^ 

Wigalois  was,  according  to  the  author's  statement,  the  first  work 
of  Wimt  von  Gravenberg,  and  was  probably  written  in  Bavaria  about 
1 2 10.  In  one  form  or  another  it  has  ever  since  enjoyed  a  remark- 
able popularity.  It  has  been  twice  edited,  by  Benecke^  in  1819 
and  by  Pfeififer"  in  1847.     The  poem  contains  11,708  lines. 


*  Soc.  des  Anciens  Textes  Fran^ais,  ed.  Servois,  Paris,  1893  (so  dated,  but  in 
reality  1894),  w.  1454  fT. ;  cf.  Bartsch,  Jahrb.  f.  ro>n.  u.  eng.  Lit.,  XI,  161-2; 
I/ist.  lAtt.,  XXX,  184. 

^  In  the  introduction  to  Servois's  edition,  pp.  cviii  ff.  Even  without  external 
e>'idence  one  would  at  once  suspect  the  song  to  be  written  by  Renaud.  The 
same  ideas  are  expressed  in  the  same  language  in  the  two  poems.  With  the  song 
cf.,  fur  example,  BI,  4094,  4457  ff->  493i,  4i3i>  4734-5- 

•  Mennung,  Der  Bel  Tnconnu,  Halle  a.  S.,  1890,  p.  15. 
♦Cf.  Zt.f.  rom.  Phil.,  II,  78. 

'  /  Cantari  di  Carduino,  in  Poemetti  Cavallereschi,  Bologna,  1873,  1-44;  cf. 
Introd.,  pp.  v-xl.  6  Wigalois,  Berlin,  1819. 

'  Dichtungen  da  deutschen  Miltelalters,  Vol.  VI,  Leipzig,  1847;  see  Introd., 
pp.  xiv  ff.  On  Wirnt's  indebtedness  to  his  predecessors  see  Meisner  in  Cer- 
mania,  XX,  421  ff.;   cf.  Betbge,   VVirnt  von  Gravenberg,  Berlin,  1881. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Descojius.  3 

The  chief  matter  of  dispute  as  to  this  cycle  of  poems  concerns 
the  relations  between  LD  and  BI. 

There  are  two  opposite  opinions  in  the  matter  —  that  of  Gaston 
Paris,  who  holds  that  BI  is  not  the  original  of  LD,^  and  that  of 
Kaluza,-  who  holds  that  LD  is  directly  derived  from  BI.  The  view 
of  Paris  was  supported  by  the  dissertation  of  A.  Mennung^  (1890). 
Kaluza,  however,  in  his  review  of  Mennung,^  declared  himself  un- 
shaken in  his  own  opinion.  Btilbring  ^  and  Schroer  ^  regard  Kaluza's 
reply  to  Mennung  as  entirely  adequate ;  but  Paris,  in  his  review  of 
Kaluza  and  Mennung/  maintains  his  original  view.  Suchier  (1891)^ 
declined  to  take  sides,  and  suggested  that  the  whole  question  should 
be  subjected  to  a  more  rigid  examination.  This  is  attempted  in 
the  present  study.  The  results,  it  is  believed,  may  serve  to  establish 
the  view  of  Paris  and  to  throw  new  light  on  the  relations  of  all  the 
poems  in  the  cycle.  It  is  hoped  also  that  some  contributions  are 
made  toward  the  solution  of  other  problems  in  mediaeval  literary 
history. 


1  Romania,  XV,  1-24  (1886),  and  Hist.  Litt.,  XXX,  171- 199.  This  view 
was  first  expressed  by  Kolbing  in  Englische  Studien,  I,  121-169;  cf.  his  review 
(^Engl.  Stud.,  IV,  182)  of  Mebes,  Ueber  den  Wigalois,  1879;  but  Paris  was  the 
first  to  use  the  Italian  poem  and  so  arrive  at  a  complete  and  consistent  theory. 
Cf.  also  Stengel  in  Zt.  f.  rom.  Phil.,  I,  486,  and  Rhode  in  Engl.  Stud.,  VII, 
152. 

2  In  his  edition  of  the  Middle  English  poem,  Leipzig,  1890,  cxxxi  ff. 

"  Der  Bel  Inconnu  des  Renaut  de  Beaujeu  in  seinetn  Verhaltnis  zum  Lybeaus 
Discomis,  Cardtiino  und  Wigalois,  Halle,  1890. 

*  Litbl.  f.  germ.  u.  rom.  Phil.,  1891,  coll.  84  ff.  The  works  of  Mennung  and 
Kaluza  appeared  contemporaneously. 

^  Engl.  Stud.,  XVII,  119  f.  Cf.  also  the  review  of  Mennung  in  Giorn.  Star., 
XVIII,  396. 

^  Koch's  Zt.  f.  veigl.  Litteraturgesch..,  N.  F.,  V,  412. 

"^  Rom.,  XX,  297-302. 

^  Lit.  Centralbl.,  189 1,  pp.  762-3.  Furnivall,  Percys  Folio  MS.,  II,  407,  says: 
"  De  Biauju's  text  tnay  have  given  rise  to  some  lost  later  version  which  the 
English  adapters  handled;  but  I  see  no  reason  why  the  early  French  text  which 
M.  Hippeau  has  printed  may  not  have  been  before  our  early  men."  Ward,  Cat. 
of  Romances,  I,  400,  speaks  of  LD  as  "  an  abridged  translation  of  the  French 
metrical  romance"  of  Renaud.  Pollard  in  English  Miracle  Plays,  Oxford,  1 890, 
p.  216,  Brandl  in  Paul's  Grundriss,  1892,  II,  i,  6,  and  Skeat  in  his  recent  edition 
of  Chaucer,  Oxford,  1894,  V,  199,  all  accept  Kaluza's  view. 


4  ir.   //.   Sc/tofifld. 

It  is  nccessar)'  to  begin  our  investigation  with  a  somewhat  minute 
analysis  of  the  incidents  in  the  four  poems  of  the  cycle,  LD,  BI,  Car., 
and  Wig.' 


COMP.VRISON   OF  TlIK    FOUR   POEMS. 

I.       iNTRODUCnON. 
(LD,  vv.  1-42  ;    BI,  vv.  I-70  ;   Car,,  i,  sts.  1-29.) 

I.  LD  opens  with  an  invocation  to  Christ  and  Mary  for  aid  in 
writing  the  book.  The  poet  is  to  tell  of  Gini^ckin,  who  was  begotten 
of  Sir  Gawein  "  be  a  forest  side."  His  mother  "  all  for  doute  of 
wikked  loos  "  brought  him  up  alone  in  the  forest 

f^at  he  scholde  se  no  kniit 
Y-armed  in  no  nianere.     (17-18.) 

He  is  so  fair  that  she  calls  him  only  Bcaufis.  One  day  he  goes 
hunting  in  the  woods  and  finds  a  knight  lying  dead.  He  clothes 
himself  in  the  slain  knight's  armor  and  goes  to  Glastinbery,  "  J'er  ley 
\t  King  Arthour."     (42.) 

The  author  of  BI  begins  his  poem  with  an  explanation  of  his 
reasons  for  writing  the  book :  he  loves  a  lady  "  outre  mesure,"  and 
it  is  for  her  sake  that  he  undertakes  the  work :  "  mostrer  veul  que 
faire  sai "  (10).  Then  follows  a  sixty-line  description  of  the  crown- 
ing of  King  .'\rthur  at  Charlion,  "  qui  siet  sor  mer,"  in  the  presence 
of  a  large  and  distinguished  assem.bly,  and  of  the  coronation  feast. 
A  Hst  of  kings  and  others  present  is  given. 

Tant  en  i  ot,  ne  puis  center, 

Ne  les  Dames  ne  puis  nommer.     (55-6.) 

Mainte  i  en  ot  de  mainte  guise, 

Si  com  la  letre  le  devise.     (69-70.) 

They  are  all  seated  at  table  when  a  young   knight   approaches, 


1  This  analysis  covers  grounrl  already  traversed  by  Kolbing,  Paris,  Kaluza,  and 
especially  Mennung,  but  it  has  of  course  been  made  from  the  originals,  and  in 
arrangement  has  been  adapted  to  the  special  requirements  of  this  paper.  In  some 
particulars  it  will  be  seen  to  correct  or  supplement  the  work  of  these  scholars. 


Stitdies  on  the  Libemis  Desco?ms.  5 

nothing  of  whose  history  has  as  yet  been  told  us.     Indeed,  the  story 
of  the  boy's  youth  is  entirely  omitted  in  this  version. 

In  Cardumo  there  is  first  an  introduction  telling  of  the  three  wise 
men  of  the  East  and  their  significance,  and  closing  with  a  prayer  for 
aid  in  telling  the  story.  There  lived  with  Arthur  at  Camelot  a  very 
noble  baron,  whom  the  king  especially  loved.  But  certain  barons, 
prompted  by  jealousy,  contrived  to  murder  him  secretly.  His  wife, 
fearing  lest  her  young  son,  Carduino,  may  also  be  killed,  flees  to  the 
woods,  taking  her  jewels  and  treasures  with  her,  and  there  she  lives 
for  more  than  seven  years,  none  at  court  knowing  her  whereabouts. 
The  boy,  constantly  with  the  animals  in  the  forest,  is  brought  to 
believe  that  no  other  creatures  exist.  When  he  is  ten  years  old,  he 
asks  his  mother  who  his  father  is.  She  replies  "  God,"  and  tells 
him  that  there  are  no  other  human  beings  besides  themselves  in  the 
world.  One  day  he  finds  two  spears  which  have  been  left  in  the 
wood  by  some  hunters.  "  O  padre  Iddio,  che  cosa  e  questa?"  he 
exclaims,  and  rushes  off  to  his  mother  to  find  out  what  they  are. 
She  tells  him  God  has  sent  them,  and  teaches  him  how  they  are  to 
be  used.  Afterwards  he  takes  them  with  him  wherever  he  goes,  and 
roams  about  the  forest,  hunting  wild  beasts  for  food  and  clothing. 
Attired  in  skins  and  "  grand  e  grosso  e  fiero  nel  visagio,"  he  appears 
like  a  regular  forest  dweller  and  is  twelve  years  old  before  he  sees 
another  man.  One  day  the  king  is  hunting  in  the  forest.  Car., 
hearing  the  strange  noise,  issues  without  fear  from  his  lodging  with 
his  two  spears,  and  is  seen  by  the  hunters,  who,  with  a  cry,  "  Eco 
un  uon  selvagio,"  pursue  him ;  but  he  escapes  by  hard  running. 
His  mother  receives  him  in  her  arms  and  inquires  anxiously  what  is 
the  matter. 

Ed  e'  rispuose  :  '■  Dolcie  madre  mia, 

O  madre,  tummi  gabi  e  tummi  incaccia. 

Tu  di'  c  'al  mondo  nonn'  a  piu  giente 

Se  non  no'  due  e  Cristo  'nipotente.'     (19,  8.) 

He  no  longer  wishes  to  dwell  in  the  forest,  and  so  his  mother  col- 
lects her  treasures,  and  they  start  off  together.  Soon  they  come  to 
a  great  city,  where  the  mother  procures  for  Car.  all  the  equipment 
necessary  for  a  warrior,  and  he  gives  up  his  covering  of  skins.  In 
the  city  he  soon  gathers  about  him  a  group  of  companions,  who, 


6  JJ:   //.   Si/iofieU. 

seeing  his  valor,  urge  him  to  go  to  Arthur's  court,  where  he  is  sure 
lo  win  honor.  He  is  eager  to  go  to  *'  serve "  the  king,  and  his 
mother  falls  in  with  his  request.  She  tells  him  that  his  father's  name 
w.is  DcnJinflh\  ami  that  he  has  been  murdered  by  Afonhirctte  and 
his  brothers  : 

K  se  sugietto  sarai  ellealc 

Vciulichcrai  tuo  padre  naturale.     (27,  7-8.) 

[Here  there  is  a  lacuna  of  8  stanzas,  in  which  it  was  probably  told 
that  the  mother  advises  him  to  conceal  his  real  name  because  of  his 
enemies,  ami  that  she  herself  is  of  lowly  origin.  He  goes  to  Arthur 
and  asks  to  be  made  a  knight.] 

In  Wig.  the  introduction  is  very  different  from  that  in  the  other 
versions  (see  below,  pp.  235  ff.). 

n.   At  THE  Court. 

(LD,  43-285;   BI,  71-316;   Car.,  i,  30-35,  ii,  1-8;   Wig.,  44,  20-53,  23.; 

I.  When  LD  comes  to  the  court,  he  kneels,  greets  the  knights  with 
honor,  and  asks  the  king  if  he  may  "  speke  a  word."  He  says  he  is 
a  child  "  uncouthe,"  come  from  the  South,  and  wishes  to  be  made  a 
knight.  Arthur  at  once  asks  his  name,  and  the  boy  replies  that  his 
mother  "  in  her  game  "  called  him  Beaufis.  The  king  declares  he 
shall  be  called  Liheaus  Desconus,  "  pe  faire  unknowe";  then  he 
makes  him  a  knight  and  gives  him  armor.  He  is  given  over  to 
Gawein  for  instruction  in  knightly  ways.  LD  now  makes  a  request 
that  he  be  allowed  to  undertake  the  first  fight  that  any  one  asks  of 
the  king.  The  latter  agrees,  although  he  thinks  the  boy  too  young 
for  any  great  encounter.     They  all  wash  and  go  to  meat. 

In  BI  the  knights  are  all  at  table,  when  an  unknown  warrior  rides 
into  the  hall.  All  salute  him.  The  king  bids  him  dismount ;  but  he 
will  not  do  so  until  he  is  given  a  promise  that  he  shall  be  granted  the 
first  request  he  shall  make.  Attendants  hasten  to  remove  his  arms, 
and  soon  he  is  clothed  in  a  handsome  mantle  which  Gauvain  gives 
him.     The  king  remarks  on  his  excellent  bearing  : 

Tot  oil  qui  Tvoient  redisoient 

Que  si  biel  homme  ne  savoient.      (99-100.) 

He  sits  down  at  the  table  beside  Gauvain. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descomis.  7 

In  Car.  the  king,  hearing  the  boy's  words,  quickly  takes  him  by 
the  hand  and  asks  him  who  his  father  and  mother  are  and  what  his 
nationahty  is.  Car.  repUes  that  he  does  not  know  anything  of  his 
father,  but  that  his  mother  is  "d'una  vil  giente."  His  wish  is  to 
serve  the  king  faithfully.  Arthur  gives  orders  for  him  to  be  honored. 
The  table  is  made  ready,  and  all  sit  down  to  their  meal.  The  barons 
marvel  at  seeing  Car. 

tanto  grosso  e  smisurato, 
E  r  uno  insieme  col'  altro  bisbiglia ; 
Per  pill  di  sei  baroni  avie  mangiato.     (33,  2-4.) 

When  Wigalois  comes  to  the  court,  he  is  given  a  hearty  welcome. 
The  king  at  once  inquires  who  he  is,  and  he  replies  that  he  does  not 
know  who  his  father  is  (although,  like  Car.,  he  really  does  know), 
but  that  he  wishes  to  be  made  a  knight.  Arthur,  delighted  by  his 
humble  bearing  (cf.  BI)  and  courage,  makes  him  a  knight  and  gives 
him  over  to  Gawein's  charge.  He  is  given  a  sword,  shield,  shaft,  and 
rich  apparel,  and  later  they  sit  down  to  a  great  feast.  (In  all  this 
Wig.  agrees  with  LD  or  Car.  and  is  unlike  BI.)  Wig.  also  makes  a 
special  request,  but  not  until  after  the  messenger  has  come  to  court. 
Arthur  grants  it  before  he  knows  what  it  is. 

2.  But  soon  a  beautiful  maid,  accompanied  by  a  dwarf,  rides  up 
to  seek  help  from  Arthur  for  her  mistress,  who  is  in  distress.  This 
incident  is  in  all  four  poems.  In  Wig.,  however,  the  feast  is  not 
that  which  was  held  when  the  young  man  first  came  to  court.  The 
lady  and  the  dwarf  appeared 

ze  den  naehsten  sunwenden, 

do  der  kiinec  ze  tische  saz.     (48,  13-14.) 

3.  In  LD  her  name  is  at  once  given  as  Elene.  In  BI  it  is  not 
mentioned  until  she  has  been  described  at  length  and  her  mission 
made  known  (57  lines).  It  is  then  given  as  Helie,  No  name  is 
given  her  in  Car.  or  Wig. 

4.  Elene  is  clothed  in  tars,  "  pelured  wi)>  blaunner."  She  is  more 
beautiful  than  countess  or  queen,  and  rides  on  a  milk-white  steed. 
The  English  poet  also  adds  the  graphic  detail  that  she  is  "  all  beswette 
for  hete." 

H^lie  is  clothed  in  samite,  and  on  her  head  is  a  "  cercle  d'or." 


s  u:  //.  ScJtofuhi 

Her  complexion  is  as  the  rose,  her  eyes  are  vairs,  her  mouth  is 
lavishing,  her  linmls  are  white,  her  body  is  avcnant,  her  hair  is  blond, 
etc.  She  riiics  a  palfrey  covered  with  cloth  of  silk,  the  oriic  of  fine 
gold,  inlaid  with  precious  stones. 

In  Car.  she  is  7-ermi^/ia,  dilicata,  and  piacienk.  She  is  a  sister  (!) 
of  the  enchanted  princess,  who  is  called  Bcatricie  "  dal  viso  rosato." 

(",  5.  6.) 

In  Wig.  she  rides  a  white  horse.  There  is  no  description  of  her, 
but  only  of  her  dress.     (Cf.  48,  40.) 

5.  The  dwarf  in  LD  is  clothed  in  I'nde,  "stout  and  pert,"  with  open 
surcoat,  a  beard  yellow  as  wax,  his  hair  hanging  to  his  girdle.  His 
shoes  are  adorned  with  gold,  and  he  is  "  coped  as  a  knijt :  J^at  seemed 
no  poverte."     He  is  far  famed  for  his  accomplishments. 

Miche  he  couhe  of  game : 
Citole,  sautrie  in  same. 

Harpe,  fil'ele  and  crouj'e. 
He  was  a  noble  disour 
Wil'  ladies  in  her  hour, 

A  mery  man  of  mouhe.     (148  ff.) 

In  BI  he  is  "  cortois  et  bien  apris :  Gent  ot  le  cors  et  biel  le  vis." 
His  only  defect  is  that  he  is  small.  He  wears  a  robe  "  de  vai'r  et 
d'eskerlate,"  which  fits  him  well. 

In  Car.  he  is  called  "  il  nano  sagio." 

In  Wig.  he  rides  on  a  horse  behind  his  lady  with  both  hands  on 
her  shoulders.  He  sings  a  song  so  beautifully  that  all  the  listeners 
forget  themselves. 

6.  In  LD  the  name  of  the  dwarf — Teodelain  —  is  at  once  told. 
In  BI  it  is  Tidogolain,  but  is  not  given  until  he  and  H6He  leave  the 
court.     He  has  no  name  in  Car.  and  Wig. 

7.  In  LD  he  suggests  to  Elene,  when  she  reaches  the  court,  that  it 
is  time  to  tell  her  errand.  Afterward  he  declares  that  LD  will  not 
be  worth  a  farthing  to  them  in  the  battles  he  will  have  to  endure,  and 
adds : 

At  he  point  perilous 
Be  he  chapell  auntrous, 

Schall  be  his  beginning.     (202  flf.) 

In  BI  he  says  nothing  while  at  court. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus.  9 

In  Car.,  when  Arthur  selects  Car.,  the  dwarf  begs  the  king  to  send 
another.  Such  a  wild-looking  man  will  not  answer  the  purpose.  He 
cannot  endure  what  will  be  before  him  if  he  goes. 

In  Wig.  he  only  sings  the  song. 

8.  Elene  pleads  for  the  lady  of  Sinadoun  (!),  who  is  in  prison; 
and  asks  for  a  knight 

WiJ'  herte  good  and  lijt, 

To  winne  her  wih  honour.     (167-8.) 

LD's  duties,  except  in  a  very  general  way,  are  unknown  to  him 
until  long  after. 

H^lie  bears  greetings  from  the  daughter  of  King  Gringars,  and 
prays  that  succor  may  be  sent  her,  for  she  is  in  great  distress.  She 
asks  for  one  of  Arthur's  knights,  "  trestot  li  millor  que  tu  as  "  (183), 
and  urges  him  for  God's  sake  to  make  haste.  The  knight,  if  he 
succeeds,  will  win  great  honor ;  but  he  will  have  to  accomplish  the 
fier  baiser. 

In  Car.  the  messenger  tells  the  whole  state  of  affairs,  —  how  the 
city  has  been  enchanted  because  its  mistress  will  not  marry  the 
enchanter,  and  how  all  the  inhabitants  have  been  turned  into  wild 
beasts.  She  begs  for  a  warrior  "  il  quale  sia  valoroso  e  saciente,"  to 
rid  the  desolate  regions  of  their  tormentor,  whose  evil  deeds  Arthur 
must  have  heard  of,  for  the  city  is  his. 

In  Wig.  there  is  no  mention  of  any  definite  undertaking.  The 
messenger  says  her  lady  is  in  distress  and  needs  help.  It  will  be  a 
very  bitter  fight,  —  even  to  the  death.  It  requires  the  most  valiant 
knight  to  perform  it. 

9.  In  LD  the  words  are  hardly  out  of  Elene's  mouth  before  LD 
has  claimed  the  privilege  of  doing  this  deed,  and  Arthur  must  needs 
stick  to  his  promise. 

In  BI  Arthur  looks  about  and  waits  for  some  one  to  offer  himself; 
but  instead  each  one  dreads  lest  he  be  forced  to  go. 

In  Car.  all  the  barons  at  once  offer  their  services,  but  Arthur 
turns  to  Car.  and  says  he  wishes  him  to  go. 

Wig.  rises  immediately  and  offers  himself.  The  rest  of  the  knights 
marvel  at  his  request.     (Cf.  50,  3  ff.) 

10.  In  LD  Arthur  at  once  acknowledges  the  boy's  claim  and  gives 
him  encouragement. 


10  u:  /r  Si/ioftfid. 

Arthur  tries  hard  to  dissuade  RI  from  going,  and  ofTers  him  a  seat 
.It  the  Round  Tabic. 

In  Wig.  Arthur  grants  the  youth's  request  and  exhorts  him  to 
uphold  his  honor ;  yet  he  is  sorry  to  see  him  undertake  such  a  peril- 
ous ailvcnture.     He  will  enrich  him  if  he  stays  at  home. 

For  Arthur's  conduct  in  Car.,  see  9. 

11.  Elene  declares  that  Arthur's  fome  is  lost  since  he  sends  a 
child,  "  l>at  is  witles  and  wilde  :  to  dele  doujty  dent,"  when  he  has 
such  knights  as  Perceval  and  Gawein. 

H^lie  says  that  she  has  sought  the  best,  but  is  given  the  worst,  — 
one  who  is  of  no  use  to  her.  She  needs  a  knight  who  in  chivalry  is 
"  esprovt^s  et  de  millor  los."     (235.) 

In  Car.  she  says  nothing  more. 

In  Wig.  also  she  is  so  angry  "  daz  si  ze  niemen  niht  ensprach." 

(50»  30-) 

12.  In  LD  Arthur  says  they  shall  have  no  other;  if  they  are  not 

satisfied  with  LD,  let  them  seek  elsewhere. 

In  BI,  however,  the  king  says  he  cannot  help  himself :  he  would 
if  he  could. 

In  Car.  the  king  receives  the  dwarfs  protest  with : 

To'  quel  ch'  io  ti  dono ; 

Questi  sark  barone  ardito  e  buono.     (ii,  7,  7-8.) 

13.  During  the  dispute  LD  swears  that  he  is  not  afraid  of  any 
man,  and  that  he  will  never  forsake  the  fight,  "  as  hit  is  Arthours 

lawe." 

He  hat  fleh  for  drede, 

I  wolde,  by  way  or  strata 

His  body  war  to-drawe.     (211  ff.) 

This  point  is  not  found  in  any  other  version. 

14.  At  Arthur's  command  four  of  the  best  knights,  Gawein,  Per- 
ceval, Iwein,  and  Agrafain,  arm  LD  with  a  gipell  of  silk,  a  bright 
hauberk,  etc.  Gawein  puts  about  his  neck  "  a  scheld  wij?  a  griffoun  " 
and  a  rich  steel  helmet ;  Perceval  puts  on  his  croufi ;  Launcelet  bears 
him  a  spear  and  a  "  fell  fauchoun  "  ;  Iwein  brings  him  a  splendid 
steed  "  egre  as  lioun." 

This  scene  is  not  described  in  any  of  the  other  poems ;  yet  it  is 
one  of  the  three  places  where  the  English  poet  refers  to  a  French 


Studies  on  tJie  Libeaiis  Descontis.  ii 

source.  ("So  seij'  \q.  frensche  tale,"  246.)  The  only  one  men- 
tioned in  BI  as  assisting  the  boy  to  arm  is  Gawein,  who  has  been 
sitting  beside  him. 

In  Wig.  there  is  a  long  description  of  the  arming  of  the  young 
knight.  He  puts  on  a  coal-black  shield  with  a  red  gold  rad  raised 
in  the  centre  (whence  his  name,  der  Ritter  mit  dem  Rade)  and 
armor  which  Queen  Guinovere  has  sent  him.  Gawein  aids  him, 
binds  on  his  helmet,  attaches  a  rich  banner  to  his  spear,  etc. 

15.  Elene  and  the  dwarf  put  up  with  what  is  offered  them,  but 
will  eat  nothing  "for  wre]'])e  and  hete  "  (223),  and  sit  down  discon- 
tented until  dinner  is  over. 

Helie  and  the  dwarf  go  away  in  anger  and  will  have  nothing  to  do 
with  BI. 

Car.  and  the  dwarf  depart  together.     The  lady  follows  them. 
In  Wig.  the  messenger  rides  off  angry. 

16.  LD,  as  soon  as  he  is  ready  to  start,  rides  to  the  king  and  asks 
his  blessing,  which  Arthur  "  as  corteis  kinge  and  hende  "  gives  with 
upraised  hand. 

In  BI  it  is  simply  said  that  the  boy  takes  leave  of  the  king. 
There  is  no  mention  of  leave-taking  in  Car. 
Wig.,  when  armed,  goes  before  the  king. 

dem  milten  kunege  neig  er  sa 

und  der  messenie  gar. 

*  herr  got,  nu  bewar 

dem  riter  sinen  schoenen  lip!' 

sprach  da  man  unde  wip. 

si  wunschten  im  alia  heiles  nach.     (51,  15  ff.) 

When  he  takes  leave  of  Gawein, 

vil  gr6zer  jamer  ane  spot 
wart  zwischen  in  beiden, 
d6  si  sich  muosen  scheiden.     (52,  14  ff.) 

17.  BI  is  given  a  squire  Robert,  who  plays  a  very  important  part 
in  the  narrative.  There  is  no  hint  of  this  character  in  LD,  Car., 
or  .Wig. 

18.  In  LD  all  three  start  off  together;  and,  though  it  is  said  that 
Elene  chides  LD  for  three  days,  there  is  no  suggestion  of  her  refusal 
to  accept  his  services. 


I-  IV.   //.   Schofiild. 

Ilclic  ami  the  dwarf  having  do])arte(l,  BI  and  Robert  start  off, 
spurring  ihoir  steeds  through  a  Httle  valley  until  they  overtake  the 
others.  Iltilie  turns  round  and  asks  BI  where  he  is  going.  He  says 
he  wishes  to  accompany  her  and  begs  her  to  cease  her  railing  and 
have  mercy  on  him.  She  declares  he  shall  not  go  with  her  permis- 
sion and  urges  him  to  return.  Under  no  circumstances  will  he  go 
back.  The  dwarf  pleads  for  him,  saying  no  one  should  be  blamed 
until  his  cowardice  has  been  proved,  and  God  may  be  his  support. 
All  efforts  at  dissuasion  proving  of  no  avail,  they  go  on  together. 

When  the  dwarf  in  the  German  poem  sees  Wig.  coming,  he  tells 
the  maid,  and  says  they  ought  to  have  waited  for  him  :  he  looks  like 
a  valiant  knight.  But  his  companion  says  she  knows  nothing  of  him, 
she  wanted  the  famous  Gawein  of  whose  valor  she  has  heard  so  much. 
While  they  are  speaking,  Wig.  appears,  with  his  helmet  in  his  hand, 
and  begs  permission  to  join  them.  At  first  she  refuses,  but  after- 
A-ards  assents,  and  they  seem  to  go  on  together  happily  enough. 
(Cf.53,  Wff-) 

III.   The  Adventure  at  the  Ford. 

(LD,  286-468;   BI,  317-5S6;   Car.,  ii,  20-25;   Wig.,  53,  24-55,  29.) 

1.  The  first  adventure  takes  place  at  a  point  or  pass  called  Peril- 
ous (in  BI,  Gue  Perilleus)  which  in  LD  is  "  be  pe  chapell  auntrous  " 
(303).  It  is  kept  by  a  knight  "  ]'at  wij)  ech  man  will  fijt  "  (287)  and 
who  is  renowned  for  his  valor.  In  LD  he  is  called  William  Sale- 
braunche;  in  BI,  Blioblieris  (although  the  name  of  one  of  the  three 
avengers  is  Willaume  Salebrani) . 

2.  In  BI  the  dwelling  of  BliobU^ris  is  described.  When  he  sees 
them  coming,  he  gives  orders  to  his  valets,  and  the  scene  is  described 
in  which  they  make  ready  for  him.     This  is  not  found  elsewhere. 

3.  In  the  description  of  the  knight  (which  is  given  in  LD  by 
Elene,  in  BI  by  the  author)  in  LD  the  most  prominent  thing  is  his 
green  shield  with  three  lions  of  bright  gold.  In  BI  his  boots  of  iron, 
bound  with  cordieles,  the  "  cote  de  soie  d'outremer  "  over  his  hau- 
berk, and  the  horse  "covert  de  ses  armes  "  are  especially  noticeable. 

4.  Elene  chides  LD  for  not  being  stronger,  but  does  not  try  to 
keep  him  from  going  on ;  while  H^lie  urges  BI  not  to  cross  the 
river,  else  he  \vill  lose  his  life.     LD  is  always  confident  of  victory. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus.  13 

It  never  occurs  to  him  to  turn  back.  BI  refuses  to  return  because 
it  would  seem  cowardly. 

5.  But  in  LD 

Whan  he  hadde  of  hem  sijl, 
To  hem  he  rod  full  rijt 

And  seide  :  *  Welcome,  beaufrere! 
Who  so  rit  her  day  oj'er  nijt, 
Wil'  me  he  mot  fijt 

Oi'cr  leave  his  armes  her.' 
Quol'  Libeaus  Desconus  : 
*  For  love  of  swete  Jhesus, 

Nou  lete  us  passe  skere! 
We  have>  for)?  to  wende 
And  beh  fer  from  our  frende, 

I  and  Ms  meide  in  fere.'     (st.  27.) 

But  BI  knows  what  he  is  to  expect  if  he  crosses  the  stream.  He 
is  nevertheless  defiant, 

'■  S'il  veut  joster  nos  josterons, 

Et  s'il  desire  la  bataille 

Ja  le  porra  avoir,  sans  faille! '      (382  fF.) 

He  calls  Robert  to  help  him  make  ready,  mounts  his  steed,  takes  his 
shield  and  lance,  and  passes  over.  He  is  quickly  stopped  by  the 
knight,  who  tells  him  he  shall  pay  dear  for  his  folly.  BI,  however, 
begs  to  be  allowed  to  pass ;  he  has  been  sent  by  King  Arthur  to 
succor  a  lady,  he  says,  and  his  companion  is  the  messenger  who 
brought  news  of  her  distress.     But  the  knight  replies  : 

'■  Avant  n'ir^s-vos,  sans  bataille ; 
Del  gud  passer  est  tels  Pusage ; 
Ensi  I'a  tenu  mes  lignages 
Et  je  certes  plus  de  vii  ans. 
Maintes  geas  1  ai  lai^  uolens, 
Et  maint  bon  chevalier  de  pris 
I  ai  abatu  et  ocis.'     (414  ff.) 

6.  In  the  ensuing  fight  LD,  after  knocking  William  over  his 
horse's  croupe,  alights,  at  William's  request,  and  fights  on  foot.  He 
shaves  his  opponent's  beard,  and  the  latter,  in  his  effort  to  return  the 
stroke,  breaks  his  sword  in  two.  He  pleads  that  it  would  be  "  greet 
vilanie  "  to  kill  a  weaponless  man,  and  LD  spares  him. 


14  /K  //.   Schoficld. 

^^■hcn  lilioblicris  is  struck  from  his  steed,  he  gets  on  an  equality 
witli  HI  by  kiUing  the  lattor's  horse.  I  le  is  forced  to  succumb  by  a 
blow  on  the  helmet  which  brings  him  to  his  knees,  and  he  is  too 
weak  to  resist  longer. 

7.  In  both  poems  the  knight  is  forced  to  promise  to  go  to  Arthur. 
In  LI)  he  is  to  tell  that  he  has  been  sent  by  one 

|>at  is  y-cleped  in  us, 

Libeaus  Desconus, 

Unknowe  of  keh  and  kende.     (403  iT.) 

BI  does  not  tell  him  his  name,  although  Bliobli^ris  later  tells  it  to 
others. 

8.  BI  has  here  a  scene  not  in  LD.  The  dwarf  calls  the  attention 
of  H^lie  to  BI's  bravery  ;  but  she  replies  : 

'  Ocis  serra ;  s'ert  grans  damages  ; 

Que  moult  est  buens  11  siens  corages!'     (497-8.) 

Of  course  BI  refuses  to  return.  H^lie  then  says  they  must  hurry 
on,  for  night  approaches.  Further,  Robert  catches  the  wounded 
knight's  horse  and  leads  it  to  BI,  who  mounts,  takes  his  shield  and 
lance,  and  they  continue  their  journey. 

9.  In  LD  William  at  once  sets  out  for  Arthur's  court.  By  chance 
he  meets  three  knights  "  proud  in  palle."  They  are  his  sister's  sons. 
He  explains  what  has  happened  and  where  he  is  going,  and  they 
(not  he)  at  once  suggest  revenge  and  start  off  without  delay  to 
take  it. 

In  BI  it  is  told  how  the  valets  carry  the  wounded  Bliobli^ris  to  his 
lodging,  take  ofif  his  armor,  and  put  him  to  bed ;  how  he  expectantly 
awaits  his  companions  (!),  who  are  "  Elins  li  blans  Sires  de  Graies, 
li  bons  chevaHers  des  Aies,"  and  Willaume  de  Salebrant.  They  are 
to  return  that  night.  When  they  finally  appear,  he  exhorts  them  to 
revenge  him,  and  hopes  they  will  bring  BI  back  and  free  him  from 
prison.     He  does  not  mention  Arthur. 

10.  After  this  encounter  LD  and  Elene  ride  on  "pas  be  pas" 
until  it  grows  dark.     They  rest  together. 

Mercy  sche  gan  him  crie, 
pat  sche  spak  vilanie  ; 

He  forjaf  her  J>at  trespas.     (475  ff.) 


Studies  on  the  Libeans  Desconus.  15 

The  dwarf  serves  them  in  all  things  they  need.     In  the  morning 
they  encounter  the  three  nephews  of  Wilham,  who  are  in  pursuit. 

In  BI,  for  some  unhappy  reason,  Renaud  has  separated  these  two 
adventures.  He  makes  the  fight  with  the  giants  take  place  during 
this  night. 

11.  The  adventure  in  Car.  which  comes  nearest  to  the  one  just 
described,  follows  the  visit  to  the  castle  of  the  enchantress.^  While 
Car.,  the  dwarf,  and  the  messenger  are  riding  along,  Car.  sees  a 
knight  coming  towards  them.  This  turns  out  to  be  Agueriesse, 
one  of  the  murderers  of  the  boy's  father.  Seeing  the  beauty  of 
Car.'s  companion,  Agueriesse  at  once  demands  that  she  be  given 
over  to  him  :  otherwise  Car.  shall  lose  his  head.  Car.  says  nothing, 
but  immediately  takes  his  spear  and  strikes  him  in  the  breast  with  it. 
When  the  knight  falls  dead  from  his  horse,  the  dwarf  exclaims  : 
"What  have  you  done?  This  is  the  nephew  of  King  Arthur,  the 
man  who  slew  Dondinello."  [It  is  indeed  strange  that  the  dwarf 
should  know  this.]  Car.  rejoices  in  his  heart  that  he  has  to  some 
extent  avenged  his  father's  death,  and  goes  on  happier  than  before. 

12.  In  Wig.  this  adventure  has  been  influenced  by  the  introduction 
of  one  of  the  features  of  the  fight  with  the  steward  (which  comes 
later  in  the  poem,  see  p.  46,  below)  ;  viz.,  the  information  given 
Wig.  by  his  companion  that  if  he  asks  lodging  at  a  castle  near  by  he 
will  first  be  forced  to  joust  with  the  lord.  If  he  wins,  he  will  be  well 
received  ;  if  not,  he  will  sufi'er  indignity.  On  the  introduction  of  this 
feature  here,  see  pp.  226  ff.  As  evening  comes  on,  the  maid  asks  Wig. 
where  they  shall  spend  the  night.  He  replies  :  "  Where  you  will." 
She  then  tells  him  the  custom  of  the  place.  If  the  knight  is  defeated, 
he  must  depart  disgraced  without  his  belongings.  It  would  therefore 
be  better  to  get  rest  elsewhere.  This  speech  displeases  Wig.,  who 
replies  that  he  will  meet  the  test  (54,  14  ff.).  But  the  house  of  the 
lord  is  so  near  that  he  sees  Wig.  riding  up  armed.  He  does  not 
wait  for  Wig.  to  ask  for  lodging,  but  orders  his  arms,  mounts  his 
steed,  and  starts  off  at  once.  His  attendants  follow  him  past  the 
city  ditches.  Wig.  sees  him  coming  and  binds  on  his  helmet.  They 
run  at  each  other.  Each  protects  himself  well,  but  Wig.  finally  kills 
his  antagonist  (55,   13-14).     The  messenger  says  it  is  not  safe  to 


1  It  is  the  visit  to  the  castle  of  the  enchantress  which  is  misplaced. 


l6  II.    /:.    :iL/:ojii-/ii. 

stxy  there,  and  they  hasten  on,  leaving  the  lord's  followers  in  bitter 
grief. 

IV.    Thk  Fight  wrrn   xnv.  Tukki:  Avkngers. 
(LD,  469-5SS;  151,947-1259.) 

1.  There  is  nothing  corresponding  to  this  adventure  in  Car.  or 
Wig.     In  IJI  it  follows  the  rescue  of  the  maiden  from  the  giants. 

2.  The  account  differs  greatly  in  LD  and  BI ;  indeed,  in  many 
cases  it  is  exactly  opposite  in  the  two  poems,  e.g.,  in  LD  the  hero  and 
his  companions  meet  their  foes  as  they  are  riding  along  (484),  and 
it  is  expressly  stated  that  it  is  day  (48 1)  ;  while  in  BI  it  is  night 
and  the  moon  is  shining.  "Que  de  cler  jor  rien  n'i  avoit "  (1028). 
BI  is  lying  asleep  on  the  grass  beside  the  two  maidens  when  Robert 
sees  the  three  knights  coming  and  flies  to  awake  his  master. 

3.  The  three  at  once  cry  out  to  LD  : 

'  fef,  turne  ajain  and  fi?t, 

Or  leve  her  hy  renoun! '     (491-2.) 

He  at  once  replies  that  he  is  ready  to  ride  against  them  all  together, 
and  spurs  on  his  steed  (497). 

In  BI,  however,  after  BI  is  aroused,  there  is  a  little  discussion 
bet^veen  all  in  the  party,  during  which  Robert  keeps  urging  haste  in 
getting  ready.  The  assailants  are  robbers  and  appear  "  l^s  le  roce  de 
valcolor."  They  express  their  joy  at  finding  him  whom  they  were 
seeking.  H^lie  reminds  them  that  it  is  not  chivalrous  to  fight  with 
an  unarmed  man.  Willaume  Salebrant  speaks  in  favor  of  lettinc:  him 
arm,  and  the  others  agree.  BI  puts  on  his  hauberk  and  laces  his 
helmet ;  then  Ht'lie  girds  on  his  sword.  She  encourages  him,  reminds 
him  of  his  duty  to  her  lady,  and  hands  him  his  shield  after  he  is 
mounted.  He  puts  it  on  his  neck,  takes  his  lance,  and  calls  upon 
God  to  preserve  him.     The  young  ladies  kneel  and  pray  for  him. 

4.  In  LD  the  hero  overcomes  the  first  assailant,  and  then  the 
other  two  attack  him  at  once  so  that  he  exclaims  :  "  Alias  !  " 

'  Oon  ajeines  two 

To  fijte,  )'at  is  noujt  good.'     (547-8.) 

But  in  BI  they  come  one  at  a  time  (William  first)  ;  for,  as  the 
author  says,  in  those  times,  when  a  man  fought  he  had  only  to  care 


Studies  on  the  Libeans  Desconiis.  if 

for  the  one  with  whom  he  was  engaged.  The  poet  laments  in  twelve 
lines  the  evil  customs  of  his  own  day,  since  "  Tos  est  muds  en  autre 
guise  "  (1065). 

5.  In  LD  it  is  Sir  C^d^rc/^r  with  whom  the  hero  first  fights.  LD 
breaks  Gower's  thigh  and  makes  him  lame  forever.  He  leaves  him 
on  the  ground  groaning  with  pain.  BI  pierces  William's  body,  and 
he  falls  dead  from  his  horse. 

6.  Of  the  second  brother  the  author  says  : 

He  [LD]  hrew  him  in  hat  place, 
And  in  bat  ilke  space 

His  left  arm  brast  a  two.     (556  fF.) 

In  BI  the  second  knight  is  unhorsed  with  such  violence  that  his 
right  arm  is  broken  ( 1 1 1 6 ) . 

7.  In  LD,  when  the  second  brother  is  wounded  the  youngest 
yields  at  once. 

In  BI  the  fight  with  the  last  knight  is  the  fiercest,  for  he  is  maddened 
by  the  fate  of  his  companions.  After  the  first  meeting  they  are  both 
unhorsed ;  then  they  fight  with  their  swords,  batter  each  other's 
helmets,  and  at  dawn  are  still  in  conflict.  At  last  BI  deprives  his  foe 
of  his  helmet  and  makes  him  prisoner. 

8.  In  LD  all  three  are  obliged  to  plight  their  troth  to  go  to  Arthur, 
yield  up  "  tour  and  toun,"  and  dwell  in  his  bandoun  ever  without  end. 

In  BI  only  the  last  knight  is  required  (on  pain  of  losing  his  head) 
to  go  to  the  king.  One  of  his  companions  is  dead,  and  the  other 
so  sorely  wounded  that  he  must  be  carried  away. 

9.  When  LD  fells  the  eldest  brother,  the  dwarf  takes  the  latter's 
steed  by  the  rein,  leaps  into  the  saddle,  and  rides  quickly  to  the 
place  where  the  maid  is  sitting.     She  laughs  and  says  : 

'Hs  ^ingfi  kni§t 
Is  chose  for  champioun.'    (515-6.) 

(With  this  cf.  Ill,  8,  p.  14.) 

10.  LD  rides  on  without  any  inquiry  as  to  who  his  opponents  are. 
BI  questions  the  Sire  des  Aies,  and  finds  out  the  names  and  the 

purpose  of  the  assailants. 

11.  BI  begs  the  Sire  des  Aies  to  take  back  Clarie  (whom  he  had 


iS  //://.   Schofiehl 

rescued    from    tlu>    Lri.uu^'i    tD   her   iiarcnls.   and    ihc   maid  departs 
rejoicing. 

This  struggle  lias  yet  to  take  jilacc  in  LD  and,  as  will  be  seen, 
1. 1')  takes  the  maiden  home  himself  and  she  is  offered  him  to  wife. 

The  author  of  BI  here  inserts  (1225  {{?)  35  lines  in  a  digres- 
bion  in  which  he  tells  of  his  own  loved  one  : 

Cil  qui  se  font  sage  d  amor, 

Cil  en  sent  faus  et  traitor. 

Per  90,  mius  veul  fa  ire  folia 

Que  ne  soie  lolaus  ni'amie. 

^o  qu'ele  n'est  I'ai  apelee. 

Que  dirai  dont?     La  mult  am^e. 

S'ensi  I'apel,  voir  en  dirai : 

S'amie  di,  lors  mentirai ; 

Car  nioi  ne  fait  ele  sanblant, 

Las!  per  li  muir,  et  por  li  cant : 

Tos  jors  serai  en  sa  merci !     (1250  ff.) 

Never  under  any  circumstances  does  the  personality  of  the  English 
author  appear. 

13.  In  LD  they  ride  on  in  a  wild  forest  toward  Sinadoun.  They 
wish  to  rest,  and 

In  )e  grene  greves 

fey  di>te  a  logge  of  leves 

Wih  swordes  hx'vX  and  broune  : 
per  inne  l^ey  dwelde  all  ni?t.     (595  ff.) 

In  BI  they  decide  to  stop  in  a  grassy  meadow,  Robert  performs 
his  duties  well.  BI  and  H^lie  go  to  sleep  beside  each  other.  The 
moon  is  shining,  and  the  nightingales  sing  above  them. 

In  Car.  the  young  knight  and  the  dwarf,  when  they  come  to  the 
wood  in  the  evening,  make  ready  a  rich  pavilion  for  the  lady  in  a 
flower-covered  meadow  (cf.  Wig.,  p.  19,  below). 

V.    The  Adventure  with  the  Gunts. 

(LD,  589-750;   BI,  587-946;   Car.,  ii,  26-39;   Wig.,  55,  30-60,  20.) 

I.   This  adventure  is  found  in  all  four  versions,  in  forms  closely 
resembling  one  another.     LD  seems  to  vary  most  from  the  original. 
In  the  English  poem  the  dwarf  is  ever  waking  up,  in  fear  that  the 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Descomis. 


19 


horses  may  be  stolen.  His  attention  is  attracted  by  the  sight  of  a 
great  fire  and  the  smell  of  roasting.     He  wakes  LD. 

BI  himself  is  aroused  by  the  cries  of  a  woman  in  distress  who  is 
calling  upon  God  for  help. 

In  Car.  they  are  all  engaged  in  eating  their  supper  beside  a  fire 
they  have  lighted  to  warm  themselves  by,  when  they  hear  a  voice 
crying  to  the  Virgin  for  help. 

2.  LD  does  not  wait.  In  a  moment,  without  a  word  to  any  one, 
he  is  mounted  and  off  to  see  what  is  the  matter. 

BI  first  assures  himself  from  Hehe,  who  has  been  aroused  by  the 
noise,  that  it  is  not  a  dream.  She  brings  forward  good  practical 
reasons  why  he  should  go  to  sleep  again,  and  not  trouble  himself 
about  the  matter ;  but  BI  is  a  true  knight,  and  will  not  be  dissuaded 
by  reasons  of  policy,  for  he  cannot  resist  the  cries  of  a  woman  calling 
for  aid.  He  calls  to  Robert  to  get  his  horse,  crosses  himself,  and  as 
soon  as  the  whole  company  can  be  got  in  motion,  starts  off,  with 
Robert  as  a  guide,  in  the  direction  whence  the  cries  come. 

Car.  asks  the  dwarf  what  voice  it  is  he  hears.  The  dwarf  replies  : 
"  For  God's  sake  do  not  speak.  Let  us  put  out  the  fire.  Keep 
silence.  Alas  !  we  cannot  escape.  If  you  should  be  heard  by  the 
giants,  all  the  gold  in  the  world  could  not  save  us."  Again  the  voice 
cries  : 

^  Vergin  madre  di  Dio,  ora  m'  aita 
Mandami  1'  angle!  tuo  chi  mi  difenda.'     (30,  1-2.) 

Hearing  this.  Car.  cannot  hold  back.  He  tells  the  dwarf  that  though 
his  life  be  at  stake  he  must  defend  her  who  is  calling  thus.  He  takes 
his  spear  without  delay  and  runs  (!)  into  the  wood. 

Wig.  and  his  companions  stop  in  a  grassy  field  where  the  nightin- 
gales "singen  vaste  gegen  der  naht "  (53,  34).  In  a  forest  near  by, 
Wig.  and  the  dwarf  prepare  a  lodge  for  the  maiden,  the  dwarf  break- 
ing off  green  boughs  and  placing  them  on  the  grass.  After  they  have 
gone  to  bed  they  hear  a  voice  crying  bitterly  in  the  forest  by  a  lake  : 

we!  we!  als  daz  da  furhtet  den  tot.     (56,  20-1.) 

Wig.  asks  his  companion  if  she  hears  it. 

frouwe,  ist  ez  iuwer  rat, 

s6  wil  ich  riten  dar 

daz  ich  uns  rehte  ervar 

waz  ez  si  daz  da  klagct.     (56,  24  ff.) 


20  U:    If.   Sc/iofu-U. 

She  answers:  '•  nu  mot  als  ir  welt"  (cf.  BI),  and  Wig.  rides  off 
alone.  Tlie  night  is  half  gone  and  the  moon  is  shining  "  gegcn  dem 
lagc."  Wig.  rides  about  a  mile  "  durch  dome  und  durch  gedrenge  " 
(56,  38),  until  at  last  he  sees  two  great  giants  sitting  by  a  fire. 

3.  LI)  sees  two  giants  "grisly  of  chere,"  one  "red  and  loj'lich," 
the  other  "  swart  as  pich."    The  black  one  holds  a  maid  in  his  embrace. 

Robert  points  them  out  to  BI,  and  they  are  described  as  :  "  his  et 
hisdels  et  mescr^ans  "  ( 700) }  The  maiden  is  weeping  bitterly  and 
crjing  aloud  because  one  of  the  giants  wishes  to  kiss  her. 

Ja  nus  hom  ne  demant  plus  bi^le, 
Se  ele  n'  eiist  tel  paor.     (702-3.) 

Car.  sees  the  giants  by  the  fire,  one  of  whom  is  holding  the  maid 
in  his  arms.  She  seems  to  be  about  fifteen  years  old,  and  is  weeping 
bitterly. 

In  Wig.  the  young  lady  is  trying  to  get  away.  The  giants  cannot 
still  her  cries.  One  of  them  has  her  pressed  to  him  with  both  arms. 
When  Wig.  sees  this,  he  desires  to  free  her,  for  such  shame  should 
not  continue. 

4.  In  LD  we  read  : 

Pe  rede  geaunt  sterna 

A  wilde  boor  gan  terne 
Aboute  upon  a  spite. 

>at  fier  brijt  gan  berne.     (625  ff.) 
InBI: 

De  Tautre  part  le  feu,  s^oit 

L'autre  gaians  qui  rostissoit, 

Et  aveuc  son  pointe  faisoit 

Norrir  le  feu  qui  relusoit.     (711  ff.) 
In  Car. : 

e  vide  un  gran  giugante 

A  un  gran  fuoco,  ch'  arostia  'na  ciervia 

Con  tutto  il  cuoio  e  tutte  le  zanpe.     (ii,  31,  2  ff.) 

There  is  no  parallel  passage  in  Wig. ;  but  the  author  puts  into  his 
hero's  thoughts  a  series  of  reflections  on  the  pleasures  which  women 
give  men  (57,  33  ff.). 


1  Cf.  the  giants  in  Claris  et  Laris^  ed.  Alton,  22489  ff.  with  BI,  729  ff. 


Studies  on  the  Libeatis  Desconus.  21 

5.  LD,  Car.,  and  Wig.  go  alone  to  the  rescue,  and  their  compan- 
ions take  no  part  in  the  scene  before  the  fight. 

Robert  guides  BI,  H^lie,  and  the  dwarf  to  the  place  where  they 
see  the  giants.  BI  points  out  the  young  woman  to  H^Iie  and  says 
he  will  fight  for  her.  H61ie  repUes  that  if  he  wishes  to  die,  he  had 
better  go  on.  She  informs  him  that  these  giants  have  laid  waste  the 
land  about  and  killed  the  inhabitants,  and  advises  him  to  flee  from 
the  devils. 

6.  LD  attacks  first  the  giant  holding  the  maiden,  and  strikes  him 

\iOXi  liver,  longe  and  herte, 

J^at  never  he  mi;te  arise.     (647-8.) 

BI  deals  the  same  giant  such  a  blow  that  he  falls  dead  into  the 
burning  fire. 

In  Car.  the  one  who  is  roasting  the  meat  sees  the  hero  first,  rises 
at  once,  and  raises  the  roast  as  high  as  he  can  to  strike  him  with  it ; 
but  the  latter  eludes  the  blow  and  strikes  the  giant  with  one  of  his 
spears  so  furiously  that  it  passes  through  his  breast  and  heart,  and  the 
giant  falls  dead  to  the  earth. 

Wig.  also  chooses  first  the  giant  by  the  fire,  and  strikes  him  with 
his  spear  so  that  it  pierces  his  heart. 

7.  In  LD  we  are  here  told  how  the  maiden  at  once  rushes  off, 
thanking  "  hevene  quene "  for  her  succor.  Elene  and  the  dwarf 
come  up,  take  her  by  the  hand,  and  lead  her  to  their  lodging,  where 
they  pray  for  LD's  safety. 

8.  The  red  giant  then  strikes  at  LD 

wil>  ^e  bore  :  As  man  ]^at  wolde  awede. 

He  kills  LD's  horse ;  but  LD  leaps  from  the  saddle  and  fights  with 
his  falchion.     The  giant's  "  spite  brak  atwo  "  (675),  and  then 

A  tre  in  honde  he  cauU, 

To  fijte  a^ens  his  fo, 
And  wi('  )ie  ende  of  he  tre 
He  smitte  his  sclield  a  Ke.     (677  ff.) 

Before  he  raises  it  up  again,  however,  LD  cuts  off  his  right  arm 
(684).     He  falls  to  the  ground,  and  LD  cuts  off  his  head. 


22  li:    //.    Sc/iojic-id. 

In  lil  the  giant  uses  a  club  as  a  weapon.  When  he  is  making  a 
violent  onslaught  on  BI,  it  strikes  a  tree  with  such  force  as  to  make 
the  tree  quiver  anil  the  branches  foil.  The  club  flies  out  of  his 
hands,  and  before  he  can  get  it  again  \>\  has  seized  his  opportunity 
and  given  him  a  blow  on  the  head  by  which  he  is  killed. 

In  Car.  the  hero  draws  near  the  giant  who  holds  the  maiden  and 
addresses  him  : 

'  Falso  traditorc, 

Non  fare  alia  donzella  disinore.''     (ii,  34,  8.) 

The  giant  rises,  seizes  a  great  brand  of  oak  from  the  fire,  raises  it 
on  high,  and  strikes  a  fierce  blow  at  Car.  The  latter  avoids  it,  and 
in  return  strikes  the  giant  on  the  head  with  his  spear  so  that  the  iron 
passes  even  to  the  middle  of  his  heart. 

In  Wig.  the  second  giant  (the  one  who  holds  the  maiden)  also 
seizes  a  great  branch  of  a  tree.  Wig.  alights,  and  they  begin  to  fight. 
The  giant  is  very  strong  and  forces  Wig.  to  flee  into  a  bush  by  the 
lake  near  by.  Finally,  however,  the  giant  has  to  give  himself  up 
and  to  beg  for  life.  Wig.  grants  this  on  certain  conditions.  Then 
follows  a  digression  on  the  way  men  kept  their  oaths  in  former 
times. 

9.  In  LD  the  hero  cuts  off  the  heads  of  both  giants  and  bears 
them  to  the  maiden  he  has  freed,  who  thereupon  thanks  heaven  he 
has  been  made  a  knight. 

[This  is  especially  important,  because  this  is  one  of  the  three 
places  where  the  author  says  he  is  following  a  French  source  : 

In  frensche  as  hit  is  y-founde, 
Him,  >at  he  jaf  er  Avounde, 
He  served  so,  aplijt.     (688  ff.)] 

The  incident  is  not  found  in  any  other  version. 

10.  In  BI  Robert  disarms  his  master  and  performs  other  duties, 
such  as  looking  after  the  horses.  The  dwarf  reproves  H^lie  for 
her  former  treatment  of  BI  and  induces  her  to  apologize  for  her 
vilonie.  She  does  so  humbly,  and  BI  graciously  grants  pardon. 
This  does  not  occur  in  the  other  poems  in  this  connection,  but  cf. 
LD  at  p.  14,  above. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus.  23 

11.  LD  inquires  the  name  and  family  of  the  rescued  maiden, 
and  she  tells  him  her  father  is  ''  of  riche  fame,"  dwelling  near  by. 

'■  An  erl,  an  old,  hore  knijt, 

pat  haj>  be  man  of  mist ; 

His  name  is  Sir  Antore^     (703  fF.) 

Her  own  name  is  Violette.  The  evening  before  she  had  been 
playing  in  the  garden  when  the  two  giants  sprang  out  of  a  cave  and 
brought  her  to  the  fire. 

In  BI  the  maiden  is  ignored  for  a  while,  and  it  is  only  some  time 
after  the  fight  that  she  reappears,  is  described  again,  and  expresses 
her  gratitude  to  BI,  promising  to  be  ever  his  servant.  She  falls  at 
his  feet.  He  Hfts  her  up  and  places  her  beside  him  on  the  grass. 
In  reply  to  his  inquiries  she  tells  BI  that  her  name  is  Clarie  and  that 
of  her  brother  Saigremor.  She  was  taken  by  one  of  the  giants  in 
her  father's  garden.  He  was  "desous  I'entr^e,"  found  the  door 
open,  and  carried  her  off  to  the  wood  where  he  met  his  companion. 

In  Car.  she  is  represented  as  a  young  lady  of  that  land,  the 
daughter  of  a  count  "  di  somo  valore  " ;  but  no  names  are  given. 
She  has  been  carried  off  by  the  tivo  giants  from  her  father, 

per  farlle  villania  e  disinore.     (32,  4.) 

No  name  is  given  her  in  Wig. 

si  [the  giants]  heten  si  gezucket 

dem  milten  klinege  ArtCis 

ze  Karid61  vor  sinem  bus. 

des  was  michel  klage  da.     (57,  16  ff.) 

12.  In  LD  as  soon  as  Violet  has  told  her  adventure  they  take 
horse  "without  more  talking,"  and  ride  away  together  (721  ff.). 

In  BI,  on  the  other  hand,  Robert  and  the  dwarf  discover  an 
abundant  supply  of  provisions  in  the  giants'  cave,  which  had  been 
obtained  by  ravaging  the  land  round  about,  —  thirty  loaves  of  bread, 
white  cloths,  glasses,  fowls  all  ready  to  eat,  plenty  of  good  wine,  etc., 
and  both  rejoicing  announce  their  good  fortune.  Soon  the  cloth  is 
spread,  and  BI  sits  down  opposite  the  two  young  ladies.  The  excel- 
lent way  in  which  Robert,  "  qui  s'entremet  de  tos  mestiers,"  per- 


34  li'.  iL  Schojldd. 

tonus  his  iluties,  aided  by  the  dwarf,  is  dilated  upon.  When  they 
have  eaten  at  their  pleasure,  the  provisions  are  put  away,  and  they 
again  set  out  on  their  journey.  Further  details  concerning  Robert 
and  his  care  of  the  horses. 

Car.  without  delay  puts  the  stag  on  his  shoulders,  and  he  and  the 
maiden  (who  carries  his  spear)  return  to  the  pavilion.  The  dwarf 
man-els  greatly  when  he  sees  them.  Then  they  eat  together  "  Di 
quella  cierbia  ch'  era  grossa  e  bella  "  (ii,  38,  4).  The  dwarf  (who  is 
**  grazioso  e  sagio  "  )  also  inquires  in  a  fitting  way  who  is  the  father 
of  the  maiden.  She  tells  him  all,  and  he  does  her  great  honor.  See- 
ing Car.'s  bravery,  he  serves  him  "  piu  che  inprima  di  coragio."  After 
a  night  of  uninterrupted  rest  the  party  of  four  start  off  for  the  deso- 
late city. 

In  Wig.  the  messenger  does  not,  even  after  this  victory,  think  the 
hero  fit  to  cope  with  the  enchanter,  but  Car.  begs  permission  to  ride 
with  her  that  day,  and  promises  never  to  do  anything  opposed  to  her 
wish.     The  dwarf  speaks  in  favor  of  Wig. 

13.  LD  goes  with  Violet  to  her  home  and  tells  her  father  what  has 
happened.  The  earl  offers  him  his  daughter  to  wife,  together  with 
fifteen  castles  on  the  spot  and  all  his  possessions  after  he  is  dead  ;  but 
LD  declines  :  he  must  first  do  his  duty.  The  earl,  however,  gives  him 
rich  meed  for  his  valor,  —  a  shield,  fine  armor,  and  a  noble  steed, — 
and  the  three  take  their  departure. 

As  will  be  remembered,  Clarie  is  taken  home  later  by  the  Sire  des 
Aies. 

In  Car.  nothing  more  is  said  of  the  maiden.  They  all  go  directly 
to  the  desolate  city. 

In  Wig.  the  second  giant  is  forced  to  give  his  oath  to  take  her  back 
to  Karidol  and  deliver  her  over  to  Arthur  and  Ginovere  (who,  by 
the  way,  is  not  mentioned  in  the  other  poems) .  He  at  once  sets  out, 
complaining  "  ane  maze  "  for  his  dead  companion.  All  at  Arthur's 
court  rejoice  when  they  come. 

14.  LD  sends  the  giants'  heads  to  Arthur  "  wil>  moche  gle  and 
game,"  and  his  fame  becomes  great  at  court  (cf.  Wig.  above). 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconus.  25 

VI.   The  Sparrow-hawk  Adventure. 
(LD,  751-1056;  BI,  1483-1850;  Wig.,  64,  5-87,  21.) 

I.  The  Induction.  As  LD  and  Elene  are  riding  along  they  see  a 
castle.  LD  remarks  its  beauty,  and  Elene  tells  him  at  once  who  owns 
it  and  how  the  owner  "  for  love  of  his  lemman  "  (769)  has  proclaimed 
the  gift  of  a  gerfalcon  to  any  one  who  shall  produce  a  fairer  than  she. 
If  the  applicant  fails,  he  must  fight  with  the  lord.  If  he  is  defeated, 
his  head  is  cut  off  and  set  up  on  a  shaft  whence  it  can  be  seen  all  the 
country  round.  On  each  carnell  one  or  two  heads  are  already  to  be  } 
seen.  LD  says  he  will  challenge  the  knight  and  propose  Elene  for  | 
the  prize  of  beauty.  The  dwarf  advises  him  to  be  wary,  for  the  \ 
knight  is  full  of  guile.  They  stay  all  night  where  they  are.  In  the 
morning  LD  rides  with  the  dwarf  to  the  palace.  Giffroun  (for  such 
is  the  knight's  name),  having  risen  early  "to  honoure  swete  Jhesus," 
sees  LD,  equipped  with  the  armor  Sir  Antore  had  given  him,  come 
pricking  "  as  prince  in  pride."  Without  more  ado  he  rides  to  him 
and  calls  out  with  a  loud  voice  to  find  out  whether  he  is  coming  for 
good  or  ill.  LD  declares  he  has  a  fairer  woman  in  the  town  than  the 
knight's  leman,  and  he  intends  to  bear  off  the  gerfalcon.  The  knight 
gently  inquires  how  they  are  to  settle  the  matter.  LD  replies  that 
both  women  must  be  set  in  the  midst  of  the  market  in  Cardevile  city, 
adding  that  if  his  leman  loses  he  is  ready  to  fight.  Giffroun  agrees  to 
have  the  meeting  at  undern,  and  they  hold  up  their  gloves  in  com- 
pact. LD  rides  home  in  haste  and  bids  Elene  "  buske  and  make  her 
boun."  Again  the  dwarf  tells  him  his  action  is  folly ;  but  to  no 
avail.  Elene  arrays  herself  in  a  robe  of  samite  "to  do  Libeaus 
profite,"  in  "kercheves  whit:  araide  wip  gold  wire"  (894),  a  gray 
velvet  mantle  about  her  neck,  and  a  circlet  of  precious  stones  and 
gold  on  her  head.  LD  puts  her  on  her  good  palfrey,  and  all  three 
ride  to  the  market. 

In  BI  the  induction  is  entirely  different.  BI  and  his  party  issue  at 
evening  from  a  leafy  wood  and  see  a  magnificent  castle  before  them. 
H^lie  (as  usual)  calls  BI's  attention  to  it.  They  stop  at  first  to 
admire,  but  soon  hasten  on  to  reach  it.  On  their  way  they  meet  a 
very  beautiful  young  woman  clothed  in  a  splendid  silk  gown  adorned 
with  ermine,  etc.     No  one  ever  saw  a  more  beautiful  woman.     She 


26  I.''    /A  Sc/ti^Jii-hl 

\\.\<  x  broaii  toroiuMd,  i.u  i-  (  uar  and  wliite  as  the  lily,  black,  arched, 
\\  I- .1- formed  I'vi'brows,  a  complexion  like  the  rose  in  summer,  shapely 
mouih.  little  teeth,  fair  hair  like  fine  gold,  vairs  eyes,  white  hands, 
splendid  figure.  She  ajipears  to  be  in  great  grief,  wringing  her  hands 
.md  tearing  her  hair.  She  calls  to  BI,  who  goes  at  once  to  her  and 
inquires  the  cause  of  her  sorrow.  She  tells  how  her  lover  has  been 
killed  that  day  and  how  she  herself  is  ready  to  die  of  sorrow ;  how 
the  chevalier  of  the  castle  owns  a  very  valuable  sparrow-hawk  (kept 
in  a  plain  by  the  monastery  on  a  perch  all  of  gold)  which  is  promised 
to  the  most  beautiful  woman ;  how  her  lover  aspired  to  win  it  for  her, 
but  was  killed  by  the  chevalier.  BI  offers  to  obtain  the  bird  for  her 
and  avenge  her  lover's  death.  She  rejoices  and  invokes  God's  pro- 
tection on  him.  Her  name  is  Margerie.  She  guides  him  past  the 
bridge  to  the  court. 

In  Wig.  they  travel  on  over  mounts  and  vales  until  they  see  a 
n^iiden  riding  alone  towards  them.  (Here  a  digression  of  nearly  40 
lines  ;  the  author  wishes  great  happiness  to  women.)  She  is  in  great 
sorrow.  She  rides  a  fine  horse,  whose  mane  reaches  to  its  knees  and 
is  blood-red.  Her  equipment  is  of  gold  and  precious  stones.  She 
wears  a  dress  of  blialt  and  has  a  cap  of  red  sigldt  in  which  is  a  swan- 
white  feather.  Her  hair,  golden  and  wavy,  reaches  to  the  saddle,  and 
she  wears  a  broad  hat  with  peacock  feathers.     She  calls  out  : 

'  owe  niir  armen  wibe,.  we! 

daz  leit  daz  klage  ich  iemer  me.'     (66,  1-2.) 

Wig.  obtams  his  companion's  permission  to  ride  to  the  stranger,  yet 

si  vorhte  siner  kintheit: 
da  von  was  ir  sin  arbeit 
und  sin  riten  mit  ir  leit.     (66,  37  ff.) 

The  stranger  is  very  beautiful  —  no  one  like  her  in  the  land.  If 
she  is  so  handsome  when  in  such  great  trouble,  "  owe,  wem  was  si 
gelich  :  e  si  daz  leit  gewunne  "  (67,  9-10).  Any  fool  could  tell 
she  is  of  king's  kin.  It  can  be  seen  from  her  rich  clothes  that  she 
has  never  known  poverty.  Wig.  offers  her  his  aid,  but  she  says  it  will 
be  of  no  use.  About  three  miles  or  better  from  there  is  one  who  is 
called  the  King  of  Ireland,     He  has  the  most  beautiful  horse  ever 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconits.  27 

seen,  and  a  wonderful  parrot  kept  in  a  cage  of  gold,  which  cost  more 
than  1000  pounds.  There  are  precious  stones  galore  about  it.  The 
horse  is  white  as  a  swan.  His  left  ear  and  mane  are  red  cinnabar- 
colored  ;  the  right  ear  is  coal-black.  A  black  stripe  runs  along  the 
back  to  the  long,  yellow  tail.  The  horse  had  been  placed  in  the 
midst  of  a  crowd  of  women,  to  the  most  beautiful  of  whom  it  was  to 
be  given.  She  had  been  the  choice  of  the  knights ;  but  when  she 
went  to  take  the  horse,  a  great  red  knight  drew  the  horse  forcibly 
away  and  gave  it  to  his  loved  one.  This  saddened  the  other  knights  ; 
but  none  dared  fight  him,  and  the  maiden  rode  away.  The  parrot 
complained  bitterly  when  the  Red  Knight  took  it.  The  knights  were 
to  remain  there  until  morning  and  then  disperse.  Wig.  offers  to 
fight  for  her,  although  the  maiden  tells  him  there  is  no  hope  of 
success.  A  child  need  not  expect  to  win  the  bird  from  such  a  bold 
warrior ;  but  finally  they  all  ride  on  together,  and  Wig.  with  many 
a  good  story  tries  to  drive  away  her  sadness.  Soon  they  hear  the 
sound  of  the  great  tournament.  Wig.  asks  where  the  Red  Knight  is, 
and  his  companion  points  out  a  rich  red  and  blue  samite  tent.  They 
are  received  gladly  by  her  cousin,  the  daughter  of  the  King  of  Persia, 
who  sits  in  her  pavilion,  while  an  attendant  reads  to  her  of  the 
Trojan  war  and  of  ^neas  and  Dido.  Wig.,  suitably  attired,  takes 
the  maid  by  the  hand,  and  rides  to  the  tent  of  the  Red  Knight,  whom 
he  finds  lying  on  a  richly  covered  bed  with  his  amie.  The  parrot, 
when  it  sees  her,  bids  her  welcome,  says  it  is  hers  by  right,  and  has 
been  taken  away  by  force.  This  comforts  Wig.  The  knight  asks 
him  what  he  wants.  He  demands  the  return  of  the  horse  and  tells 
the  knight  he  will  fight  with  him  for  it  in  the  morning.  The  latter 
laughs  :  he  has  never  been  beaten.  He  tells  Wig.  to  come  after 
mass  and  summon  all  the  knights  and  ladies.  He  reminds  him,  ///  ^ 
however,  that  he  has  not  full  strength. 

der  sinne  sit  ir  gar  ehi  kint 
iuwer  kraft  diu  ist  ein  wint 
wider  einen  starken  man.    ItZ,  9  fF.) 

But  Wig.  trusts  in  God  and  rides  away  winr  his  lady.  The  news 
of  the  coming  fight  is  spread  about,  and  all  pray  for  good  luck  to 
Wig.  The  evening  is  spent  in  festivities.  In'the  morning  the  Queen 
of  Persia  and  many  other  women  arm  him  and  conduct  him  to  mass. 


f 


28  jr.  //.   Si/iofu-U. 

After  majiy  blessings  Wig.  springs  on  his  horse.  The  queen  gives 
hira  his  shield,  and  the  maid  his  spear,  and  he  goes  to  the  encounter 
with  the  Rcil  Knight. 

2.  The  CastU  is  simply  described  in  LD  as  being  "stout  and 
stark,"  "  in  a  pack,"  "  rially  adijt,"  "  ywalled  wi)>  ston,"  "  wij)  carneles 
stifle  and  stoute  "     (757). 

In  1)1  it  is  named  Bel  Leu  (148S).  It  is  surrpunded  by  a  river 
full  of  fish,  much  used  for  carrying  merchandise  and  provided  with 
plenty  of  mills,  etc.  On  one  side  are  vineyards  of  great  extent. 
The  castle  is  enclosed  by  deep  ditches,  surmounted  by  high  walls. 

3.  The  Attitude  of  the  On-lookers.  In  LD  the  only  remark  made 
by  observers  as  they  pass  is  : 

Her  cornel'  a  lady  gay 
And  semelich  on  to  se. 

LD  wears  the  new  armor  given  him  by  Sir  Antore. 

In  BI  they  are  all  in  a  state  of  indignation  at  the  chevalier  for  his 
treatment  of  Margerie's  lover.  When  BI  and  his  party  come  to 
the  casde  they  are  followed  by  a  great  crowd,  "  chevalier,  borjois 
et  serjant "  (1645).  Women  and  maidens  leave  their  labors  and 
ask  about  the  new  aspirant  for  the  sparrow-hawk.  Many  answer : 
"  We  do  not  know ;  but  look  at  his  battered  helmet  and  shield, 
and  his  hauberk  descloe ;  he  must  be  a  good  and  tried  knight." 
Then  inquiries  are  made  about  the  maidens,  "  qui  tant  sont  beles  " 
(1661).  Margerie  is  at  once  recognized  as  the  one  whose  lover 
had  been  killed  the  day  before.  Thus  they  ride  to  the  place 
beside  the  orchard  where  the  bird  is  kept. 

4.  Before  the  Fight.  LD  and  Elene  wait  for  the  arrival  of  Giffroun. 
The  gerfalcon  is  not  exposed,  but  is  brought  by  one  of  the  two 
squires  who  accompany  the  knight.  Giffroun  is  followed  by  his 
beautiful  leman.  The  two  women  are  placed  on  chairs  in  the 
cheping,  and  all  decide  that  Elene  is  not  comparable  to  her  rival. 
Giffroun  therefore  claims  the  prize  ;  but  LD  declares  he  must  fight 
for  it,  and  the  struggle  begins. 

BI  calls  aloud  to  Margerie  to  take  the  hawk  from  its  perch,  for 
her  beauty  merits  it.  Just  then  the  lord  of  the  castle  approaches, 
goes  straight  to  Margerie,  and  in  a  very  loud  voice  tells  her  not  to 


Studies  on  the  Libeans  Desconus.  29 

take  the  hawk.  BI  comes  up  and  demands  why  she  should  not  have 
it.  The  lord  replies  that  his  own  love  is  more  beautiful  and  he  will 
prove  it  by  fight. 

5.  The  Knight  is  called  by  Elene  at  the  very  beginning  Giffroim, 
and  the  dwarf  adds  the  appellation  le  fludus,  by  which  he  is  after- 
wards known.     It  is  said  of  him  : 

He  bar  l-e  scheld  of  goules,  j 
Of  silver  Ke  white  oules, 

Of  gold  was  he  bordure. 
Of  he  selve  colours 
And  of  non  oj^er  floures 

Was  lingell  and  trappure.     (913  ff.) 

In  BI  we  learn  aftej-  the  fight  that  the  knight's  name  is  Giflet 
li  fins  Do.  He  rides  "un  bel  ceval  de  moult  grant  pris."  His 
shield  is  of  silver,  adorned,  like  the  rest  of  his  equipment,  with  red 
roses. 

In  Wig.  he  has  red  hair  and  a  red  beard  (a  digression  to  discuss 
their  significance).  He  is  called  Hoj'ir  of  Mannesvelt,  and  is  well 
known  in  Spain  for  his  bravery  although  he  is  a  Sahse.  (Digres- 
sion on  how  to  win  renown.)  All  his  armor  is  also  red,  and  on  his 
shield  Death  is  painted  in  very  horrible  guise. 

6.  The  Lady  ofi  the  Castle  in  LD  attracts  people  from  far  and  wide 
to  see  her  beauty,  which  is  described  in  all  its  details  to  the  length 
of  twenty-four  lines.  She  rides  "proud  in  pride,"  clothed  in  "pur- 
pel  pall."     No  name  is  given  her. 

In  BI  she  is  called  Rose  Espanie.  She  rides  a  short  palfrey,  and 
is  really  not  beautiful,  though  she  appears  to  be  so  to  her  lover. 

La  laide  fait  bele  sanbler, 

Tant  set  de  guille  et  d'encanter!     (1719-20.) 

7.  The  Fight.  In  LD  the  two  ride  at  each  other  and  fight  with 
such  vigor  that 

Har  schaftes  breke  asonder ; 
Har  dentes  ferde  as  I'onder, 
\>2X  comel>  out  of  l>e  skie.     (979  ff.) 


20  ir.  //.  Schoficld. 

Then  follow's  a  uniiiuc  ^l.mza  : 

J?o  gan  GitVioun  to  speke: 

'  Bring  a  schaft,  M  ncll  nouU  breke, 

A  scliaft  \vi|>  a  coinall! 
X'xs  yinge,  ferly  frek 
Sit  in  his  sadell  steke 

As  ston  in  castcU  wall. 
I  schall  do  him  stoupe 
Over  his  horses  croupe 

And  §eve  him  evell  fall, 
pau5  he  wer  wijt  werrour 
As  Alisaunder  oher  Arthour, 

Launcelot  ober  Percevalll'     (985  ff.) 

LD,  however,  smites  Giffroun  with  such  force  that  the  latter's 
shield  falls  from  his  grasp.  All  the  onlookers  laugh  and  wonder. 
Again  Giffroun  attacks  him  "as  man  pat  wold  awede  "  (1014)  ;  but 
LD  casts  down  both  him  and  his  steed,  so  that  the  former's  back 
cracks,  and  men  on  all  sides  hear  the  sound. 

In  BI  the  account  is  quite  different.  After  a  fierce  struggle,  "  an- 
dui  s'abatent  des  cevals "  (1750).  Neither  being  wounded,  they 
jump  up  quickly  and  fight  with  "  les  brans  vienois.  "  Finally  BI 
gives  Giflet  so  severe  a  blow  that  he  falls  "  tos  estordis  "  on  the  spot, 
and  his  face  strikes  on  a  stone.  BI  pulls  off  his  helmet.  Not 
being  able  to  get  up,  Giflet  exclaims :  "  Conquis  m'av^s,  ne  1'  puis 
soufrir!"  (1778). 

In  Wig.  the  Red  Knight  comes  preceded  by  boys  calling  "  wicha, 
herre,  wiche  "  (80,  16).  They  are  used  to  his  winning.  Many  spears 
are  lost  in  a  short  time.  Finally  a  strong  one  is  given  Wig.,  and  he 
turns  to  the  warrior  as  Gawein  had  tauglit  him  and  knocks  him  off 
his  horse.  Wig.  dismounts,  and  they  fight  on  foot.  The  Red  Knight 
fights  with  such  vigor  that  Wig.  is  hard  pressed,  and  all  the  ladies  are 
in  great  sorrow  for  his  sake.  The  maid  offers  up  a  prayer  for  him  ; 
hearing  which,  he  fights  with  renewed  energy.  The  blood  flows  fast, 
but  finally  Wig.  is  victorious  and  wins  the  prizes.  Amidst  great 
tumult  and  rejoicing  the  Queen  of  Persia  leads  him  to  her  tent,  and 
he  is  followed  by  knights  without  number. 

8.    TJie  Result.     In  LD  all  agree  that  the  hero  has  won  the  ger- 


Studies  on  the  Li  beans  Desconus.  %\ 

falcon.  They  bear  it  to  him  and  go,  "  lasse  and  more,"  with  him 
to  the  town.  Giffroun  is  borne  home  on  his  shield,  and  we  hear 
no  more  of  him. 

When  BI  has  his  opponent  down,  he  makes  him  promise  to  go 
to  Arthur.  When  Giflet  gets  up,  they  embrace,  and  Giflet  leads  BI 
and  the  others  to  the  castle,  where  they  are  well  received  and 
spend  the  night  in  pleasure. 

Hojir  also  has  to  promise  to  go  to  Arthur  and  wait  until  Wig. 
comes.  He  is  to  say,  if  any  one  asks  who  has  sent  him,  "daz  hat 
der  riter  mit  dem  rade  "  (82,  39).  But  Hojir  wants  to  know  Wig.'s 
real  name,  and  learns  it.  He  wishes  Wig.  success,  expresses  the 
hope  of  seeing  him  again,  and  departs  for  Britain. 

9.  In  the  morning  BI  and  his  party  are  about  to  set  out,  when 
BI  inquires  of  Margerie  what  she  desires  to  do.  She  replies  that 
she  wishes  to  go  home  to  Scotland  to  her  father.  King  Agolans. 
Hearing  this,  BI  calls  Giflet  aside  and  insists  on  her  having  a  knight 
to  accompany  her.  He  agrees  readily.  H^lie  now  recognizes  in 
her  an  old  friend,  presents  her  with  her  little  dog,  and,  after  a 
moving  scene,  bids  her  farewell.  Margerie  departs  with  her  hawk 
and  her  dog,  both  of  which  are  very  dear  to  her. 

In  Wig.  it  is  midday  before  the  fight  ends,  and  as  Wig.  does  not 
wish  to  remain  until  the  next  day,  he  and  his  party  take  an  appro- 
priate farewell.  The  Queen  of  Persia  wishes  him  to  go  with  her,  but 
he  refuses.  Nothing  is  forgotten  which  can  minister  to  their  comfort. 
Wig.  and  the  young  lady  for  whom  he  has  fought  ride  together,  after 
them  the  other  maid  and  the  two  dwarfs.  When  about  to  separate 
the  lady  begs  him  to  go  home  with  her  that  she  may  repay  him  for 
his  noble  services.  He  feels  he  must  go  on  to  Korntin,  but  prays 
that  God  may  protect  and  bless  her.  When  she  sees  that  her  prayers 
are  in  vain,  she  is  in  much  greater  sorrow  than  before.  She  tells  him 
she  does  not  wish  to  take  the  prizes  he  has  won  for  her :  he  should 
give  them  to  his  companion.     This  suggestion  he  follows. 

10.  LD,  having  got  possession  of  the  hawk,  sends  it  to  Arthur  by 
a  knight,  Claudas,  together  with  a  written  account  of  how  it  was 
won.     Arthur  is  so  delighted  that  he  sends  to  Ca7-devile 


An  hundred  pound  honest 

Of  florins  wi)?  he  best.     (1045-46.) 


32  U:  //.   Sc/iojiehf. 

Then  LD  holds  a  feast,  which  lasts  forty  days,  "wij>  lordes  of 
renoun "  (1050),  and  at  the  end  of  six  weeks  (!)  he  and  the 
maid  take  their  departure  for  Sinadoun. 

VII.  The  Dispute  about  the  Dog. 

(LD,  1057-1296;   BI,  1260-1482;   Wig.,  60,  20-64,4.) 

In  BI  and  Wig.  this  adventure  follows  directly  the  one  with  the 
giants. 

I.  The  Induction.  In  LD  the  dwarf  recognizes  the  sound  of 
horns  which  are,  he  says,  those  of  Sir  Otes  de  Lile.  While  they  ride 
on  talking, 

fey  3156  a  rach  come  flinge 
Overhwert  he  way.     (i 070-1.) 

Elene  expresses  a  wish  to  have  it. 

'  Ne  si?,  I  never  no  juell 
So  likinge  to  my  pay. 
God  wold,  hat  I  him  amte  ! '     (1079  ff-) 

There  remains  nothing  for  LD  to  do  but  to  catch  it  and  give  it  to 
her.     This  done,  they  ride  forth 

And  telde,  how  kni5tes  fau5t 

For  ladies  briU  and  schene.     (1085-6.) 

Before  they  have  gone  a  mile,  they  see  a  hind  pursued  by  two 
greyhounds.  LD  and  his  company  stop  under  a  linden  to  watch 
the  result. 

WTien  BI  is  riding  along  by  a  forest  ("une  aventure  va  contant," 
1263),  he  sees  a  stag  with  sixteen  antlers  pass  ("langue  traite,  vait 
effr^es,"  1267).  After  it  come  leaping  ^rar^/ of  different  colors,  fol- 
lowed by  one  apart  from  the  rest.  This  one,  having  a  thorn  in  its 
foot,  stops  "  en  mi  la  voie "  near  H^lie.  She,  seeing  its  beauty, 
alights,  seizes  the  dog,  and  mounts  again,  declaring  she  will  carry  it 
off  to  her  lady. 

In  Wig.,  immediately  after  the  departure  of  the  giant  to  Arthur's 
court,  while  the  dispute  as  to  Wig.'s  ability  to  fight  the  enchanter  is 
still  in  progress,  a  beautiful  little  dog  appears.     The  maid  desires  it, 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconus.  33 

and  Wig.,  glad  to  be  able  to  do  something  to  please  her,  catches  it 
and  lays  it  in  her  lap.     They  ride  on  "  mit  grozen  frouden." 

2.  The  Dog.    In  LD  they  all  agree  they  never  saw  one  so  beautiful. 

He  was  of  all  colours, 
pat  men  may  sen  of  flours 

Betwene  midsomer  and  may.     (1075  ^0 

In  BI  it  is  white  with  black  ears.  On  its  right  flank  it  has  a  black 
spot.  It  is  small,  —  a  little  larger  than  an  ermient,  —  no  one  ever 
saw  a  dog  more  beautiful. 

In  Wig.  the  dog  is  entirely  white,  "daz  niht  schoeners  mohte  sin" 
(60,  25).     One  ear  is  val,  the  other  red  as  blood. ^ 

3.  The  Owner.  The  dwarf  in  LD  says  that  the  owner's  name  is 
Sir  Otes  de  Lite. 

'  pat  served  my  lady  while 
In  her  semily  sale. 
Whan  sche  was  take  wil'  gile, 
He  fli5  for  greet  perile 
West  into  Wirhale.'     (1064  ff.) 

He  is  clothed  in  inde,  and  rides  a  bay  steed.  The  notes  of  his 
bugle  reveal  his  station.  On  being  called  a  chert  by  LD,  he  retorts 
that  his  father  was  an  earl,  and  his  mother  the  Countess  of  Carhsle. 

In  BI  he  is  a  hunter  who  comes  pricking  up,  followed  by  his  dogs. 
He  holds  a  horn,  and  has  a  lance  in  his  hand. 

Corte  cote  avoit  d'un  burel ; 
Le  cors  ot  avenant  et  bel. 
D'une  houses  estoit  hoses ; 
Estrangement  estoit  hastds.     (1297  ff.) 

Later  he  is  said  to  be  a  chevalier  of  high  rank,  who  has  had  a 
castle  built  there  for  convenience  in  hunting. 

In  Wig.  he  is  a  large  man  with  coaLblackJiair,  — 

ieslich  lok  bewunden  wol 
mit  siden  und  mit  golde, 
gezieret  als  er  wolde.     (61,  4  ff.) 


1  Compare  the  Red  Knight's  horse,  p.  27,  above. 
D 


34  n:  //.   Schoficld. 

He  rides  a  good  black  horse. 

von  bluomen  fuort  er  einen  liuot. 

mit  griieriLMn  tymit  was  er  gekloit.     (6i,  8-9.) 

He  carries  in  his  hand  a  club  well  wound  with  strips. 

4.  His  Request.  As  LD  and  Elene  are  under  the  linden,  the 
knight  rides  up  and  blows  his  bugle.  He  asks  courteously  for  the 
rack  :  he  has  had  it  seven  years.  LD  bluntly  refuses  :  he  has  himself 
given  it  to  his  companion,  and  no  gift  of  his  shall  be  taken  back. 
The  knight's  threats  have  no  effect.  He  rides  home  and  tells  his 
followers  he  has  been  shamed  by  one  of  Arthur's  knights.  They  all 
swear  the  offender  shall  be  taken 

hau5  he  wer  grimmer  gome 
Jian  Launcelet  du  Lake  !     (i  145-6.) 

They  leap  upon  their  steeds  and  soon  come  upon  LD  riding  slowly 
on  a  hill. 

The  hunter  sees  H61ie  putting  the  dog  under  her  mantle  and  begs 
her  to  let  it  go.  She,  however,  repeatedly  refuses  to  give  it  up. 
The  owner  appeals  to  BI,  who  advises  Ht^lie  to  return  it ;  but  the 
latter  is  obstinate  and  will  not.  Though  unwilling  to  have  her  keep 
the  dog,  BI  can  do  nothing  but  support  her  since  she  is  deter- 
mined. The  owner  goes  away  muttering  vengeful  threats.  His 
sen-ants  come  to  meet  him  as  he  approaches  his  castle.  He  orders 
them  to  bring  his  steed  and  his  arriis  in  haste.  They  equip  him 
suitably,  and  he  spurs  off  to  recover  the  dog. 

In  AVig.  the  owner,  seeing  his  little  dog  in  the  lady's  possession, 
is  very  angr)',  tells  her  it  is  his,  and  inquires  who  gave  it  to  her. 
When  he  learns  it  is  Wig.,  he  turns  to  him,  asks  how  he  dared  do 
such  a  thing,  and  threatens  violence.  Wig.  replies  that  such  talk 
only  suits  a  woman.  Whatever  happens  to  him,  he  will  not  give 
up  the  dog  "  durch  bcese  rede  noch  durch  dro "  (62,3).  The 
knight  turns  his  horse  and  rides  off  over  the  broad  field  to  the 
forest  to  get  his  armor.     The  rest  ride  on  happier  than  ever. 

mit  manegem  guoten  maere 

vertriben  si  die  selben  zit.     (62,  19-20.) 

The  knight  returns  on  the  gallop. 


Studies  on  the  Lib e aits  Descomis.  35 

5.  The  Fight.  When  LD  sees  the  field  full  of  men,  he  forecasts 
trouble,  and  has  Elene  ride  into  the  forest.  They  shoot  at  him 
"wi)>  bowes  and  wij)  arblaste "  (11 74)  and  make  wide  wounds; 
but  he  lets  his  steed  run  and  bears  them  all  down,  so  that  they 
think : 

'  Ms  is  the  fend  Satan, 

^at  mankende  will  forfare.''     (1181-2.) 

He  is  soon  beset  again,  "as  deer  is  in  a  nette,"  by  a  new  group 
of  twelve,  with  the  lord  himself  at  their  head.  There  is  a  fierce 
struggle.  Sparks  spring  from  shield  and  helmet.  LD  slays  three ; 
four  flee ;  the  lord  and  his  four  sons  remain.  Against  these  five 
LD  fights  on,  but  he  is  hard  pressed.  His  sword  breaks  at  the 
hilt.  A  fierce  blow  nearly  strikes  him  from  his  saddle.  His  foes 
are  ready  to  despatch  him ;  but  he  recovers,  seizes  his  axe,  and 
cuts  off  the  heads  of  three  steeds.  The  lord  in  terror  flees ;  but 
LD  overtakes  him  under  a  chestnut  tree  and  makes  him  promise 
to  go  to  Arthur. 

In  BI  the  hunter,  now  armed,  comes  up  alone  to  the  group  and 
in  a  loud  voice  again  demands  the  dog.  Then  follows  a  great 
struggle.  Finally  both  are  thrown  from  their  horses  and  fight 
together  on  the  ground.  The  hunter  finally  loses  his  sword;  BI 
prevents  his  getting  it  again,  and  makes  him  vow  to  go  to  Arthur. 
Somehow  or  other  he  knows  BI's  name.  BI  inquires  his  name  in 
return,  and  finds  it  to  be  L' OrguiUous  de  la  Lajijiej.^  They  take 
leave  of  each  other.     Helie  keeps  the  dog. 

When  Wig.  sees  the  knight  approaching,  he  tightens  his  horse's 
girth,  and  then  spurs  to  meet  him  with  such  force  that  he  drives 
his  spear  through  the  knight,  whose  shaft  breaks  without  harming 
Wig.  They  tie  his  horse  and  relieve  the  knight  of  his  equipment, 
thus  depriving  him  of  his  honor.  (Such  was  the  custom  in  those 
times  —  digression  of  35  Hues.)  There  is,  of  course,  no  sending 
to  Arthur.     The  combats  in  Wig.  are  not  detailed. 

6.  In  LD  we  have  a  unique  scene.  LD  goes  home  with  the 
conquered  lord  to  the  latter's  castle,  fifteen  knights  conducting 
Elene  thither.  There  she  tells  of  LD's  brave  deeds,  and  the  lord 
rejoices   in   such   a   knight.     LD    remains   there  a  fortnight  to  let 


36  U:  11.   Schofield. 

his  wounds  heal ;  and  then  the  lord  sets  off  to  gladden  Arthur's 
heart  by  telling  him  more  of  the  prowess  of  the  new  knight  of 
the  Round  Table. 

VIII.    At  iHE  Ii.E  d'Or. 
(LD,  1207-154S;  BI,  1851-2470;   Car.,  ii,  9-19.) 

1.  According  to  LD,  the  hero  has  ridden  many  a  mile  and  seen 
terrible  adventures  in  Ireland  and  Wales,  when  on  a  beautiful  June 
day  he  sees  a  fair  city  by  a  river's  side. 

BI,  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day  on  which  he  leaves  Margerie, 
comes  to  a  beautiful  castle. 

In  Car.  the  first  adventure  is  with  the  enchantress. 

2.  The  City.     Four  lines  suffice  to  describe  it  in  LD. 

A  fair  cite 
WiJ'  paleis  proud  in  pride 
And  castelles  hi;  and  wide 

And  jates  greet  plente.     (131 1  ff.) 

Two  pages  are  required  in  BI.  The  city  is  surrounded  by  an  arm 
of  the  sea.  Nothing  can  equal  the  beauty  of  the  white  marble  walls. 
They  are  so  high  that 


Nus  horn  ne  pooit  engien  faire 
Qui  peiist  k  crenals  tocier.     (ii 


(1876-7.) 

There  are  two  towers  of  red  marble,  and  a  wonderful  palace  ("  cil 
qui  le  fist  sot  d'encanter  ").  The  stone  resembles  crystal ;  the  vault 
above  and  the  pavement  below  are  both  covered  with  silver,  while  a_. 
shining  carbuncle  at  the  top_  sheds Jightoji_the  whole.  Twenty  towers 
support  the  castle  ;  they  are  all  of  one  color.  Much  merchandise  is 
carried  to  and  fro  from  the  city,  which  is  therefore  very  rich. 

In  Car.  we  hear  only  of  a  noble  castle  in  a  valley  between  two 
mountains. 

3.    The  Lady  of  the  Castle  in  LD  is 

a  lady  of  pris, 
Roddy  as  rose  on  rise.     (1321-2.) 

In  BI  she  is  said  to  know  the  seven  arts,  much  astrology,  methods 
of  enchantment,  etc.:    "Onques  nus  horn  ne  vit  si  bele  "  (1916). 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descomis.  37 

She  is  her  father's  only  heir,  and  still  unmarried.  She  is  "  la  pucele 
as  blances  mains." 

In  Car.  the  castle  belongs  to  a  duchess, 

Giovane  e  bella  e  fresca  di  natura, 
Che  molta  giente  avea  a  pericol  messa, 
Perch'  era  d'  arte  maestra  sicura.     (ii,  9,  2  fF.) 

In  LD  the  account  is  given  by  Elene  ;  in  BI  and  Car.,  by  the  authors. 

4.  In  BI  the  feature  of  the  heads  on  poles  is  introduced  here. 
Cf.  LD,  778  ff. 

5.  Ttiduction  to  the  Fight.  While  still  a  good  way  off,  Elene  tells 
LD  how  a  horrible  giant  "hath  beleide  about"  the  beautiful  lady  in 
the  castle.     LD  determines  to  fight. 

'  I  have  y-sein,'  he  says,  '  gret  okes 
Falle  for  windes  strokes 
And  smale  stonde  full  stille.'     (1351  ff.) 

So  they  ride  to  the  city.  The  giant  sees  LD  ("  upon  a  bregge  of 
tre ")  and  calls  to  him  to  turn  back ;  but  he  retorts  that  when 
Arthur  made  him  a  knight  he  vowed  never  to  turn  back,  and  advises 
the  "  deyell  in  blak  "  to  make  ready. 

In  BI  a  knight  has  awaited  adventure  summer  and  winter  in  a 
pavihon  at  the  head  of  a  bridge.  When  he  sees  BI  coming,  he  goes 
to  meet  him  and  tells  him  that  he  cannot  pass  without  fighting. 
H^lie  now  (!)  declares  that  such  is  the  regular  custom,  and  that  if  he  . 
is  killed,  his  head  will  be  placed  with  the  one  hundred  and  forty-three  j 
already  set  up  here  on  stakes.  If  any  one  defends  himself  here 
against  all  comers  for  seven  years,  he  shall  have  the  lady  of  the  castle 
to  wife.  The  present  knight  has  only  two  years  more  to  serve.  BI 
begs  to  be  allowed  to  pass,  for  he  is  on  a  mission  from  Arthur  and 
does  not  wish  to  stop.  Seeing  that  he  cannot  avoid  a  fight,  he  takes 
his  lance  and  makes  ready. 

6.  The  Heroes  Opponent  in  LD  is  a  giant  who  is  described  as 
follows : 

He  is  as  black  as  pich  ; 
Nowher  l^er  is  non  swich 
Of  dedes  sterna  and  stoute. 


38  IV.  11.  Schoficld. 

He  is  1  ritty  fotc  of  Icnghe 
And  miche  more  of  streng^e, 
f'an  ober  kniUes  five  : 


He  berel-  on  everich  browe 
As  biistelles  of  a  sowe, 

His  heed  greet  as  an  hive; 
His  amies  be  lengbe  of  an  elle  ; 
His  fistes  beb  full  felle, 
Dintes  wib  to  drive.     (1327-44.) 

He  is  later  described  as  being 

Beld  as  wilde  bore. 
His  scheld  was  blak  as  pich 
Lingell,  arnies,  trappure  swich  ; 

pre  maumettes  her  inne  wore, 
Of  gold  gailich  y-geld.     (1362  ff.) 

He  believes  on  Termagaunt. 

In  BI  he  is  a  knight  who  is  hated  by  the  lady  of  the  castle  and  all 
her  following. 

II  estoit  fels  de  cuer  et  mals, 

Et  trop  tirans  et  desloyals.     (2019-20.) 

His  shield  and  other  equipment  bear  the  sign  of  the  "  blances 
mains." 

7.  The  Fight.  In  LD  both  break  their  shafts,  but  at  once  draw 
their  swords.  LD  knocks  the  giant's  shield  to  the  ground.  The 
latter  dashes  out  the  brains  of  LD's  horse.  LD,  without  delay,  seizes 
an  axe  which  hangs  at  his  saddle-bow  and  cuts  off  the  head  of  the 
giant's  horse.  They  fight  from  prime  to  evensong.  Then  LD  thirsts 
and  begs  for  permission  to  drink  from  the  river.  Maugis  (for  such 
is  the  giant's  name)  grants  this,  but  while  LD  is  lying  on  the  bank 
drinking  through  his  helmet,  the  giant  treacherously  strikes  him  into 
the  river.  LD,  however,  gets  out,  says  he  is  twice  as  light  as  before, 
and  that  he  will  reward  Maugis  for  this  baptism.  The  fight  is 
renewed.  Maugis  cuts  LD's  shield  in  two ;  but  LD  runs  and  gets 
one  Maugis  has  previously  been  obliged  to  drop,  and  they  continue 
the  fight  on  the  river's  side  until  dark.     Then  LD  cuts  off  Maugis's 


Studies  on  the  Libeans  Desconus.  39 

arm,  and  the  giant  runs  away.     LD  follows,  splits  the  giant's  back  in 
two,  and  finally  strikes  off  his  head. 

The  fight  in  BI  is  very  unlike  this.  They  are  at  first  more  than  an 
acre  apart.  Then  they  rush  at  each  other  at  full  speed,  and  engage 
in  fierce  conflict.  They  are  both  thrown  down  with  their  horses. 
When  they  recover  from  the  shock,  they  catch  sight  of  each  other, 
draw  their  swords,  and  begin  again.  Helmets  smash,  hauberks 
break,  sparks  fly.  At  last  BI  knocks  off  the  knight's  helmet,  and 
splits  his  head  from  brains  to  teeth. 

8.  The  Attitude  of  the  Crowd.  In  LD  lords  and  ladies  turn  out 
"to  se  \dX  selly  sijt"  (1386)  and  pray  God  "loude  and  still" 
to  help  the  Christian  knight.  After  the  fight  is  over  LD  bears 
the  giant's  head  into  the  town,  and  the  people  come  to  meet  him 
"with  a  fair  procession."  The  lady  of  the  castle  welcomes  him 
and  conducts  him  to  a  chamber,  where  she 

dede  of  all  his  wede 
And  closed  him  in  pell.     (1496-7.) 

In  BI  old  and  young,  of  every  condition,  go  to  the  fight,  except 
the  mistress  of  the  castle,  who  with  her  ladies  watches  it  from  the 
windows  of  the  tower.  They  one  and  all  hate  the  knight  and  desire 
his  death.  During  the  fight  the  people  get  down  on  their  knees 
and  promise  God  "aumonnes  et  vels  pent^is  "  (2142)  if  their  lord 
be  killed.  He  thinks  they  pray  for  him.  Never  was  so  great  joy 
as  when  he  is  slain.  They  present  themselves  to  BI,  tell  him  he 
has  slain  the  best  chevalier  that  ever  mounted  a  steed,  that  they 
and  the  kingdom  are  his,  and  that  he  has  also  won  the  most  beau- 
tiful woman  in  the  world.  They  lead  him  to  the  castle,  where  he 
is  well  received  "a  crois  et  a  procession"  (2192).  The  barons 
rejoice,  conduct  him  to  the  palace,  and  there  remove  his  armor. 

9.  The  Lady  of  the  Castle  is  called  in  LD  la  dame  d^amour,  and 
it  is  emphasized  that  she  is  an  enchantress  "fat  moch  of  sorcery 
can"  (1532). 

For  I'is  fair  lady 
Coul'e  more  of  sorcery, 

f'en  o)5er  swiche  five. 
Sche  made  him  melodie 
Of  all  maner  menstralsy 

pat  any  man  mijte  descrive. 


40  n:  H.  Schofield. 

When  he  sij  her  face, 
Him  t'oujte,  lat  he  was 

In  paradis  a  live. 
Wih  fantasme  and  fairie 
pus  sche  blered  his  ije, 

pat  evell  mot  sche  J)rive!     (1513  ff.) 

In  BI  she  is  described  in  35  lines  of  most  extravagant  adula- 
tion. Certainly  "  Onques  nus  horn  ne  vit  tant  bele "  (2236). 
Her  knowledge  of  sorcer)'  is  evident  from  the  tricks  later  played 
on  BI. 

10.  La  dame  d'atnour  receives  LD  with  gratitude  for  saving  her 
from  the  giant,  leads  him  to  a  chamber,  and  offers  to  give  over  her 
cit)'  and  castle  to  him  and  be  his  wife.  He  gives  in  to  her  fasci- 
nation and  remains  with  her. 

In  BI  she  enters  laughing,  throws  her  arms  about  BI's  neck, 
declares  that  he  has  conquered  her,  and  she  will  not  part  from 
him.  She  wishes  to  give  him  her  lands  and  her  love.  They  sit 
down  on  a  seat  with  a  covering  of  brown  Thessaly  silk  and  pledge 
affection.  Many  valiant  chevaliers  are  in  the  castle.  The  lady 
says  she  will  assemble  her  barons  and  on  the  eighth  day  take  him 
as  her  husband.  When  evening  comes,  they  wash  and  sit  down  to 
meat  together,  and  are  honorably  waited  on  by  all  the  attendants. 
Old  and  young  rejoice. 

11.  The  Night  at  the  lie  d' Or  is  not  found  in  LD.  In  BI,  after 
supper,  the  hero's  bed  is  prepared  for  him.  (It  takes  nine  lines  to 
describe  its  beauty.)  After  all  the  servants  have  retired,  the  lady 
appears  to  him  in  the  night  Avith  a  splendid  mantle  thrown  loosely 
about  her,  revealing  all  her  charms.  He  is  rejoiced  to  see  her,  and 
they  embrace.  She  confesses  her  great  love  for  him ;  but  when  he 
wishes  to  enjoy  more,  she  draws  back,  declares  that  only  when  mar- 
ried will  she  give  herself  up  to  him,  and  leaves  him  alone.  When 
she  is  gone,  he  is  distracted  with  love,  but  finally  falls  asleep  and 
dreams  all  the  night  that  he  holds  her  in  his  arms.  At  dawn  he 
awakes  and  takes  his  departure. 

12.  Thus  in  BI  at  this  time  he  only  remains  one  night,  while  in 
LD  he  is  said  to  have  stayed  "  twelf  monpe  and  more  "  (1507). 

13.  In  both  cases  his  departure  is  occasioned  by  a  rebuke  from 
the  messenger. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconus.  41 

Elene  meets  LD  one  day  by  chance  beside  the  castle  tower.  She 
tells  him  that  his  action  is  dishonorable  and  that  he  is  "fals  of  fay  " 
to  King  Arthur.  LD's  heart  almost  breaks  for  sorrow  and  shame. 
At  once  he  steals  away  "at  a  posterne  unsteke  "  (1540),  gets  his 
steed  and  armor,  and  leaves  the  place. 

After  supper,  H61ie,  realizing  BI's  great  temptations,  calls  him 
aside,  reminds  him  that  all  the  barons  have  been  sent  for,  and  begs 
him  not  to  do  a  deed  of  vilonie  and  forget  her  lady  in  distress.  He 
declares  his  willingness  to  go,  and  she  plans  the  escape.  With  Rob- 
ert's assistance  she  will  arrange  to  have  the  horses  at  the  door  leading 
to  the  chapel  at  daybreak.  BI  is  to  come  there  and  tell  the  porter 
he  wishes  to  go  to  church.  She  will  have  his  armor  and  steed  ready. 
BI  praises  her  arrangements,  and  they  separate.  In  the  morning 
they  depart  together  in  great  joy. 

14.  H^lie  is  urged  to  spend  the  night  at  the  castle;  but  she 
refuses  all  solicitation,  and  goes  to  the  town  to  make  ready  unob- 
served for  the  early  start. 

No  mention  whatever  is  made  of  Elene  after  the  fight,  until  it  is 
told  how  she  rebukes  LD  more  than  a  year  after. 

15.  In  LD  it  is  said  that  the  hero  on  leaving  the  castle  makes 
Gifflet  the  steward  of  the  dame  d'' amour  his  squire. 

16.  In  Car.  there  is  no  opposing  giant  or  knight,  no  fight,  no 
staring  populace,  no  offer  of  marriage,  no  love  lost,  no  prompting  to 
depart,  no  desire  to  return.     The  account  is  as  follows  : 

It  is  the  custom  of  the  castle  that  whenever  a  knight  comes  there 
bearing  armor  he  shall  spend  the  night  with  the  lady  of  the  castle. 
After  supper  she  calls  Car.  to  her  and  says  to  him  : 

'  Ora  m'  ascolta,  cavalier  pregiato, 
Vo'  che  prendi  di  me  gioia  e  disire : 
I'  vo'  che  dormi  co  meco  ne'  letto ; 
Di  mi  arai  gran  gioia  e  gran  diletto.'      (ii,  12,  5  ff.) 

He  is  quite  willing.  The  lady,  however,  adds  this  condition  : 
when  she  calls  him  to  her  he  must  not  come,  when  she  tells  him  not 
to  come  then  must  he  come.  He  must  always  do  the  opposite  of 
what  she  says.  He  promises  ;  but  when  in  the  night  she  calls  him 
to  her,  he  does  not  hesitate,  but  starts  up  to  obey  the  summons. 
When  he  is  about  to  cross  the  threshold  the  lady  roars  loudly.     It 


42  U:  II.  Schofifld. 

sounds  like  the  sea  tossed  about  in  a  tempest.  Car.  stops  in  great 
fear.  He  sees  no  longer  house  or  walls,  but  instead  a  great  river. 
Four  giants  appear  on  the  bank,  who  suspend  him  over  the  water 
just  high  enough  for  his  feet  to  touch  it,  and  he  remains  dangling 
there  until  day  breaks  the  spell.  The  dwarf  rises  and  finds  Car.  up. 
He  tells  him  the  horses  are  ready  and  they  should  depart.  Car. 
says  he  is  very  willing,  for  he  has  spent  an  unhappy  night.  The 
omniscient  dwarf  assures  him  that  many  others  have  had  a  similar 
experience. 

Perch'  ell  5  d'  arte  maestra  saciente.     (ii,  19,  8.) 

With  this  should  be  compared  the  description  in  BI  of  the  first 
night  BI  spends  at  the  castle  after  his  return  (see  p.  55). 


IX.  The  Adventure  with  Lampart. 


(LD,  1549-1860;  BI,  2471-2829;   Wig.,  102,  21-106,  30  (cf.  96,  2  ff.).) 

I.  Induction,  {a)  In  LD  they  ride  fast  for  three  days  (on  bay 
and  brown  steeds)  before  they  reach  the  city  Sinadoun. 

In  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  BI  and  his  party  leave  the 
He  d'Or,  they  see  the  castle  which  is  called  Galigan. 

In  Wig.  this  adventure  is  the  first  after  Wig.  leaves  the  court. 

((5)  In  LD  they  come  to  a 

castell  hi?  and  wide 
And  paleis  proud  in  pride, 

Work  of  fair  fasoune.       (1555  ff.) 

In  BI  this  castle  is  described  at  length  with  its  bridge,  its  towers, 
its  high  walls,  the  large  number  of  houses  in  the  town,  the  wood  near 
by,  the  fertile  lands  about,  etc. 

{/)  LD's  attention  is  attracted  by  a  custom  "fat  he  si^  do  in 
toune."  The  citizens  are  gathering  "gore  and  fen"  which  had  been 
cast  out.  He  asks  Elene  what  it  means.  She  replies  that  no  knight 
ever  gets  ostell  there  for  fear  of  the  steward  Sir  Latnbard,  but  advises 
LD  to  try.  He  will  first  be  asked  to  joust,  and,  if  he  loses,  the 
steward's  trumpets  will  be  blown,  and  then  maidens  and  boys  will 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descoims.  43 

gather  and  throw  fen  on  him,  so  that  he  will  be  forever  shamed,  and 
Arthur  lose  his  honor.     LD  decides  to  go 

To  do  Arthur  profit 

And  make  t'at  lady  quit.     (1600-1.)    (How?) 

He  calls  Gifflet  to  accompany  him. 

BI  inquires  if  they  are  to  rest  at  the  castle.  H^lie's  reply  (40 
lines  long)  informs  him  that  the  citizens  never  entertain  any  one. 
All  reception  is  given  by  the  lord  of  the  castle,  Lampart,  and  he 
gives  lodging  to  no  armed  man  without  first  jousting  with  him.  If 
the  stranger  overcomes  the  lord,  he  is  received  with  honor;  if  not, 
he  is  sent  on  foot  into  the  city,  and  all  the  people  shame  him  by 
throwing  upon  him  a  mixture  of  mud,  ashes,  and  the  Hke.  She  there- 
fore tries  to  dissuade  him  from  going  (cf.  LD).  He  bids  her  not  to 
fear.     God  can  aid  him,  and  he  will  fight  with  the  chevalier. 

2.  The  Crowd.  In  LD  nothing  is  said  of  the  on-lookers  until  the 
fight  is  in  progress.  They  then  comment  on  LD's  bravery,  and  when 
he  makes  Lampart  rock  in  his  saddle 

As  a  child  dol'  in  a  cradell, 

Wi>  oute  main  and  mist. 
Ech  man  tok  ol'er  be  J^e  lappe 
And  louje  and  gonne  her  hondes  clappe 

Baroun,  borgais  and  kni^t.     (171 2  ff.) 

In  BI,  as  they  ride  along  the  public  streets  to  the  castle,  the 
people  follow  them,  laughing,  point  them  out  to  one  another,  get 
stuff  ready  to  throw  at  them,  and  plan  amongst  themselves  the 
best  way  of  preparing  for  their  sport.  Robert  calls  his  master's 
attention  to  them. 

3.  LD  and  Gifflet  ride  to  the  gate  and  ask  for  lodging.  The 
porter  (!)  inquires  who  their  governor  is.  They  reply  King  Arthur. 
The  porter  goes  to  his  lord  and  announces  that  two  knights  of  the 
Round  Table  have  come,  one  of  whom  is  armed  in  rose-red  armor 
with  three  lions  of  gold.  The  lord  is  glad,  and  sends  word  for  LD 
to  get  ready  to  joust.  The  porter  returns  quickly  and  tells  them 
first  to  equip  themselves  and  then  ride  into  the  field  to  await  his 
lord.     They  do  this 


44  IV.  II.  Schoficld. 

And  beldly  her  abide, 
As  bestes  broujt  to  bay.     (1652-3.) 

Lambard's  shield  is  of  fine  azure,  with  three  black  boars'  heads 

therein, 

f  e  bordure  of  ermine, 
Nas  non  so  cjueinte  of  gin 
From  Carlile  into  Kent, 
And  of  I'C  same  painture 
Was  lingell  and  trappure.     (1660  ff.) 

He  has  two  squires,  who  bear  two  shafts.  He  rides  to  the  field  as 
light  as  a  leopard. 

In  BI  they  go  straight  to  the  lord  of  the  castle,  whom  they  find  in 
joy  over  his  chess,  for  he  has  mated  a  chevalier.  He  rises,  and 
stands  in  his  "  robe  d'eskerlate  "  and  other  fine  apparel,  while  BI, 
who  remains  on  horseback  (as  at  Arthur's  court) ,  salutes  him.  Lam- 
bard  is  willing  to  lodge  him  on  the  regular  conditions,  and  leads  him 
to  the  place  where  they  are  to  joust.  A  carpet  is  spread  out,  and 
Lambard  sits  down  on  the  image  of  a  leopard  portrayed  in  it.  He 
is  soon  armed  and  mounted.  It  is  as  much  as  two  valets  can  do  to 
carry  his  lance. 

4.  The  Fight.  When  LD  sees  his  opponent,  he  rides  to  him  and 
begins  the  fight.  Both  break  their  shafts.  Lambard  calls  in  great 
vexation  for  another.  Finally  LD  knocks  Lambard's  shield  from 
him,  breaks  his  shaft,  hits  him  in  the  lai7ier  of  his  helmet  with  such 

force 

pat  pisaine,  ventaile  and  gorgere 

Fli;e  for>  wi)>  ^e  helm  in  fer.     (1708-9.) 

Another  helmet  and  shaft  are  brought  him;  but  again  his  shaft 
breaks,  and  he  falls  backward  from  his  steed.  He  is  sore  ashamed, 
and  gives  in  when  LD  inquires  if  he  wants  more. 

In  BI  they  run  at  each  other  from  a  distance,  break  their  lances, 
the  splinters  going  as  high  as  one  could  throw.  Each  calls  for  a  new 
lance.  Robert  selects  the  best,  runs  with  it  to  his  lord,  and  begs 
him,  for  the  love  of  God,  not  to  forget  "  les  laides  torces,  ne  les  pos  " 
(2646),  for  the  streets  are  full  of  people  who  await  his  overthrow 
(cf.  LD) .  BI  replies  that  he  must  not  be  dismayed  :  God  will  aid 
him.      At   last   Lampart   is   knocked   from   his   saddle.      He   rises 


Studies  oil  the  Libea2is  Desconns.  45 

quickly,  goes  to  BI,  and  admits  that  BI  has  won  his  lodging.     BI 
dismounts  ;  valets  remove  his  armor,  and  afterwards  that  of  Lampart. 

5.  After  the  Fight.  In  LD  Lambard  declares  LD  must  be  of 
Gawein's  kin,  and  he  is  welcome  if  he  will  fight  for  the  knight's  lady. 
LD  replies  that  that  is  what  Arthur  bade  him  do,  but  he  knows  not 

Wherfore  ne  why, 
He  who  her  doj'  hat  vilany, 

Ne  what  is  her  dolour.     (1744  ff-) 

Elene  is  brought  in  by  ten  knights  and  tells  of  LD's  bravery  on  the 
way.  They  sit  down  to  supper  with  great  glee.  The  two  knights 
talk  of  adventures,  and  LD  learns  about  the  lady  of  Sinadoun.  He 
is  told  that  two  clerks  of  necromancy,  Maboicn  and  Irain,  keep  her 
confined  in  a  castle  which  they  prevent  any  one  from  entering. 
The  lady  is  often  heard  to  cry  out ;  but  no  one  can  see  her.  Her 
foes  have  sworn  her  death  unless  she  gives  herself  over  to  them.  She 
is  the  heiress  of  all  the  dukedom,  and  is  meek  and  debonair.  LD 
swears  that  "  )'Our|  help  of  swete  Jhesus  "  he  will  win  her  and  hew 
off  the  sorcerers'  heads  by  the  chin.  They  continue  their  revelry. 
Many  barons  and  citizens  come  to  hear  of  the  fight,  and  find  LD  and 
the  knight  talking  "of  knijtes  stout  and  stipe"  (1836).  In  the 
morning  LD  is  provided  with  fresh  arms  "  of  the  best "  and  starts 
off. 

After  the  fight  H^lie  and  Lampart  go  aside.  The  latter  is  the 
seneschal  of  H^lie's  mistress.  H^lie  tells  him  of  her  journey  to 
Arthur's  court,  and  they  rejoice  at  the  outcome.  Lampart  goes  to 
BI  and  praises  him  for  his  bravery.  Then  they  sit  down  to  supper. 
Directly  after,  they  go  to  bed.  In  the  morning  they  again  hear 
mass,  offer  up  prayers,  partake  of  dinner,  have  the  horses  saddled, 
and  depart. 

6.  In  LD,  Lambard  accompanies  the  hero  to  the  gate  of  the 
castle,  but  none  are  willing  to  go  farther,  except  Gifflet,  whose  offer 
is  refused. 

To  Jhesu  I'an  bey  cride, 
To  sende  hem  tidinges  glad 
Of  hem,  I'at  longe  had 

Destroied  her  wellies  wide.     (1857  ff.) 


46  W.  H.  Schoficld. 

l.auipart  goes  with  111  also.  BI  and  Robert  ride  ahead.  H(51ie, 
Lampart,  and  the  dwarf  follow  consillant.  BI  looks  about  and  sees 
them  thus  engacred. 


'o"o^ 


N'est  mervelle  se  paor  a.     (2747.) 

In  the  evening  they  pass  a  forest  and  then  come  to  the  desolate 
city  incite  Gaste).  The  towers,  palaces,  etc.,  are  described  (2755  ff.). 
There  the  company  stops.  Lampart  and  H^lie  weep.  They  arm  BI, 
and  when  he  goes,  Robert  swoons.  "Jamais  ne  I'cuident  rev^oir" 
(2S21).    See  X,  I  (p.  47,  below). 

7.  As  has  been  seen  (p.  15  above),  part  of  the  adventure  with  the 
steward  has  been  transferred  in  Wig.  to  the  fight  with  the  first  knight, 
and  is  therefore  not  repeated  at  this  point  in  the  poem. 

The  beginning  of  an  episode  foreign  to  our  cycle  (and  therefore 
not  regarded  in  the  present  analysis)  intervenes  in  Wig.  between  the 
sparrow-hawk  contest  and  the  fight  with  the  steward.  The  latter 
runs  in  Wig.  as  follows.  After  the  sparrow-hawk  adventure  has  been 
successfully  accomplished  and  Wig.  and  the  messenger  are  riding 
along  together,  the  latter  informs  our  hero  that  they  are  near  the  city 
of  her  mistress,  tells  him  of  the  enchanter  and  the  way  the  distress 
was  brought  about,  and  how  Wig.  is  to  undertake  the  adventure. 
They  soon  come  before  a  beautiful  city  and  see  a  knight  riding  out 
armed.     Wig.  asks  who  he  is,  and  the  messenger  tells  him : 

des  libes  ist  er  gar  ein  belt, 

unde  ist  truhsaeze  hie. 

riterschaft  die  minneter  ie.     (103,  22  fF.) 

She  advises  him  to  avoid  a  fight ;  but  he  scorns  the  idea.  The 
two  knights  come  together  on  the  heath.     They  both  fight  so  well, 

daz  niemen  kunde  wizzen,  wer 

daz  sine  baz  hiet  vertan.     (104,  3-4.) 

The  tncchsess  goes  up  to  him,  bids  Wig,  welcome,  and,  seeing  the 
messenger  who  had  been  sent  out  from  the  distressed  city,  greets  her 
gladly.  They  all  ride  together  to  the  castle,  where  the  messenger 
and  the  dwarf  tell  of  Wig.'s  bravery,  and  exhibit  the  prizes  he  has 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Descomis.  47 

won.  There  is  great  rejoicing.  Wig.  is  presented  to  the  lady 
(Larie)  and  her  mother,  and  from  this  point  the  narrative  in  Wig. 
differs  from  all  the  other  versions. 


X.  The  Rescue  of  the  Enchanted  Lady. 

(LD,  1861-2196;   BI,  2830-3427;   Car.)  ii,  40-66.) 

I.  In  LD  and  BI  whatever  information  is  given  to  the  young  hero 
before  he  enters  the  city  is  given  by  Lampart,  in  Car.  by  the  dwarf. 
(There  is  no  character  hke  Lampart  in  Car.) 

In  LD  very  little  is  told  (see  p.  45,  ix,  above.)  There  are  only 
18  lines  in  LD  corresponding  to  100  in  BI.  In  the  latter  Lam- 
part takes  up  40  lines  (2773-2814)  in  telling  BI  what  he  is  to 
expect  to  see,  what  he  ought  to  do,  and  what  he  should  leave 
undone.  In  this  speech  he  describes  the  desolation  of  the  city,  the 
palace  with  the  thousand  windows  in  each  of  which  is  a  jogleor,  their 
instruments,  torches,  and  salutation.  He  adds  a  warning  not  to  enter 
the  chamber,  but  to  await  adventure  in  the  middle  of  the  hall.^ 
(Cf.  Car.,  p.  48,  below.) 

When  Car.  comes  to  the  city,  the  dwarf  says  to  him  :  "  Now  you 
will  need  to  prove  your  valor  and  be  a  hero,  for  this  is  the  city." 
Car.  replies  :  "  Che  dite  voi?  I'  non  vegio  niente  "  (ii,  40,  7).  The 
dwarf  then  points  out  to  him  some  large  stones  in  a  mound  and 
tells  him  those  were  formerly  towers  and  palaces.  The  change  was 
brought  about  by  magic.  The  paths  in  the  middle  were  the  streets 
along  which  the  people  were  accustomed  to  go  night  and  day.  Car. 
looks  towards  what  was  formerly  the  gate  of  the  city,  and  sees  dra- 
gons and  serpents  coming  towards  him.  He  calls  aloud  in  fear  and 
begins  to  flee ;  but  the  dwarf  calms  him  and  assures  him  he  shall  go 
among  lions  and  all  sorts  of  wild  beasts,  and  not  be  harmed.  The 
dragons  are  the  transformed  barons  of  the  land ;  the  lions,  the 
knights;  the  bears,  the  judges;  the  boars,  the  notaries;  the  stags, 
leopards,  and  goats,  the  common  people ;  the  hares,  rabbits,  and 
fawns,  little  children  ;  and  the  beautiful  white  animals  are  all  women 
and  fair  damsels.     The  dwarf  tells  him  he  must  pass  by  these  trans- 


1  On  this  point  cf.  Paris,  /\om.,  XV,  17,  note  I. 


48  U:  11.   Schofield. 

formed  people  and  go  on  into  the  palace  with  its  old  towers  "  fatte 
con  valore,"  and  that  from  the  open  place  there  he  must  cry  out  in  a 
loud  voice  :  "  Issue  forth,  traitor,  thou  who  holdest  this  city  in  evil 
torment."  Then  shall  appear  an  armed  knight  on  a  steed,  who  will 
ride  fiercely  at  Car.,  and  wish  to  strike  him  with  a  sword.  Car.  must 
be  "  ardito  e  posente."  This  is  the  magician  who  keeps  the  city  and 
its  inhabitants  in  this  condition  because  the  princess  will  not  love 
him.  He  will  appear  as  a  great  giant.  If  he  flees,  Car.  must  not 
enter  at  the  same  door  he  goes  in  at,  nor  go  into  the  palace  ;  since,  if 
he  does  so,  he  will  be  stnick  down  into  the  fire.  If  Car.  knocks  him 
to  the  earth,  under  no  circumstances  must  he  leave  him  alive.  He 
must  kill  him  immediately,  then  seek  his  girdle  and  break  whatever 
he  finds  at  once.  When  afterwards  he  shall  see  the  great  serpent  in 
the  square,  he  must  go  and  kiss  it  on  the  mouth.  The  dwarf  then 
commends  him  to  God.  He  himself  cannot  go  on  the  enchanted 
ground,  else  he  also  shall  become  a  beast. 

2.  LD  rides  right  into  the  palace,  hears  "  trompes,  homes,  schal- 
meis  "  (1864)  before  the  high  dais,  and  sees  a  fire  "  stark  and  store  " 
in  the  middle  of  the  hall.  He  goes  on,  leading  (!)  his  horse,  sees 
no  other  persons  but  minstrels  making  glee.  He  goes  on  farther, 
seeking  some  one  to  fight  with,  sees  pillars  of  jasper  and  crystal 
"y-flourished  wil^  amall,"  brass  doors,  glass  windows  "wrou^t  wi)) 
iraagerie  "  (1899),  and  the  whole  beautiful  painted  hall.  He  sits  on 
the  dais ;  all  the  minstrels  disappear ;  the  torches  go  out ;  the  doors 
and  windows  rattle ;  the  stones  of  the  wall  fall ;  the  dais  begins  to 
shake  ;  the  earth  quakes  ;  the  hall-roof  unlocks,  "  and  J'e  faunsere  ek  : 
as  it  wolde  asonder"  (1920).     He  sits  there  in  dismay. 

BI  has  to  cross  a  bridge  over  a  stream  which  flows  before  the 
city.  (The  city  is  described  in  16  lines.)  He  marks  himself  with 
the  sign  of  a  cross  and  enters  by  a  gate  which  he  finds  broken  down. 
He  traverses  the  wide  streets  with  the  marble  windows  (the  pillars 
are  all  fallen),  and  does. not  stop  until  he  comes  to  the  hall.  There 
he  sees  the  jogleors  in  the  windows,  each  with  a  torch  before  him. 
They  are  playing  on  all  sorts  of  instruments.  When  they  see  him, 
they  salute  him  as  the  chevalier 

*  Qui  est  venus  la  dame  aidier, 

De  la  maisnie  Artur  le  roi.'     (2880-1.) 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descoims.  49 

BI  is  in  great  terror,  but  curses  them,  as  Lampart  had  instructed 
him.  He  rides  on  into  the  hall  without  stopping.  A  jogleor  closes 
the  door  behind  him.  The  hall  is  briUiantly  lighted  by  the  torches. 
In  the  centre  is  a  large  table  resting  on  seven  dormans.  He  stops 
in  the  middle  of  the  hall,  leans  on  his  lance,  and  there  awaits 
adventure. 

With  the  prayer  "  Idio  m'  aiuti,"  Car.  passes  the  gate.  When  he 
enters,  there  is  at  once  set  up  a  great  noise  from  the  lions,  serpents, 
and  other  beasts. 

Tutti  s'  apresentaron  dov'  egli  era ; 

E  rimiravan  lui  e  suo  destiere 

E  pare'  che  '1  vedeser  volentiere.     (ii,  52,  6  fF.) 

His  terrified  horse  has  to  be  urged  on  by  hard  spurring.  He  soon 
reaches  the  square,  and  sees  an  immense  beast. 

E  'n  sua  senbianza  era  molto  piaciente, 

Con  tre  catena  a  collo  d'  ariento, 

E  facie  gran  tenpesta  e  gran  lamento.     (ii,  54,  6  ff.) 

It  rises  on  its  tail,  starts  toward  Car.,  and  finally  says,  "  Baron,  fa 
che  sia  ardito  e  dotto  "  (55,  8).  Car.  answers  nothing,  but  calls 
aloud  for  the  magician. 

3.  While  LD  is  sitting  on  the  dais,  he  hears  horses  neigh  (!)  and 
his  spirits  revive.  He  soon  sees  two  armed  men  with  trappings  of 
purple  inde  and  "gold  garlands  gay"  (1932).  One  of  them  tells 
LD  he  has  to  be  "  queinte  of  ginne  "  to  win  the  lady  "  )'at  is  so 
precious."  LD  declares  himself  ready,  leaps  into  his  saddle,  seizes 
his  lance,  and  rides  to  meet  his  foe.  Maboun's  shaft  breaks. 
LD  bears  him  down  over  his  horse's  tail  and  nearly  kills  him. 
Irain,  seeing  this,  comes  on  fresh  to  the  fight.  LD  leaves  Maboun, 
meets  Irain,  and  tears  off  the  latter's  hauberk.  They  both  break 
their  lances,  and  fight  with  their  swords.  Maboun  gets  up  to  help 
his  companion.  Irain,  encouraged,  wounds  the  neck  of  LD's  steed. 
LD,  however,  cuts  in  two  Irain's  thigh,  and  despite  the  latter's 
charm  he  falls  down,  "  pat  sory  sire."  LD  alights  to  fight  again 
with  Maboun.  Sparks  fly  from  their  helmets  ;  but  at  last  Maboun 
breaks  LD's  sword.  With  his  sword  gone  and  his  horse  lamed,  LD 
fears  he  shall  lose  his  fame.     However,  he  runs  to  Irain,  seizes  the 


50  //'.  //.   Sc/iofeld. 

latter's  sword,  and  again  attacks  Maboun  with  such  vigor  that  he 
smites  ofl"  his  left  arm  bearing  the  shield.  Maboun  offers  to  yield 
and  give  up  the  maiden  if  his  life  be  spared.  He  had  poisoned 
the  swords,  and  fears  death ;  but  LD  only  desists  when  Maboun's 
head  is  off.  He  then  runs  to  kill  Irain,  but  the  latter  is  nowhere  to 
be  found.     This  makes  him  sigh  sorely,  for  he  dreads  sorcery. 

While  BI  is  on  horseback  leaning  on  his  lance  in  the  middle  of  the 
hall,  he  sees  issue  from  a  dark  room  a  chevalier  who  rushes  at  him. 
They  fight  fiercely ;  both  are  thrown  from  their  horses ;  often  they 
are  brought  to  their  knees ;  but  at  last  the  chevalier  retreats  hurriedly 
to  his  room.  BI  follows ;  but  just  as  he  is  about  to  cross  the  thresh- 
old he  sees  great  axes  ready  to  fall,  remembers  Lampart's  injunctions, 
and  saves  his  life.  He  is  unable  to  find  his  horse,  it  is  so  dark.  He 
calls  upon  God.  The  torches  are  again  lit.  The  minstrels  again 
play.  BI's  fear  is  dispelled.  He  catches  his  horse,  seizes  his  lance, 
mounts,  and  returns  gladly  to  the  centre  of  the  hall.  Then  there 
issues  from  the  room  another  chevalier  "  grans  et  corsus."  His 
steed  has  eyes  like  crystal,  a  horn  in  its  forehead,  and  emits  fire  from 
its  mouth.  The  chevalier,  clad  entirely  in  black  armor,  rides  towards 
BI  at  full  speed.  The  stone  pavement  nearly  gives  way.  BI  com- 
mends himself  to  God  and  spurs  to  meet  his  adversary.  After  both 
are  unhorsed,  they  fight  a  fierce  fight  on  foot  with  their  swords  until 
BI  kills  the  giant.  The  body  at  once  decays,  and  from  it  rises  a 
horrible  stench.  BI  touches  it  to  see  if  there  is  still  life  in  it ;  but 
he  finds  it  quite  dead  and  the  face  already  horribly  disfigured.  He 
crosses  himself  and  goes  for  his  horse. 

When  Car.  calls  aloud  in  the  hall,  an  armed  knight  issues  from 
a  palace  of  shining  marble,  draws  his  sword,  and  comes  spurring  at 
Car.,  who  throws  his  spear  at  him.  The  giant  is  wounded  and  re- 
treats through  the  door  of  the  palace.  Car.  not  following  him,  he 
reappears  through  another  door,  and  tries  to  strike  Car.  with  a  small 
axe ;  but  Car.  throws  his  other  spear  at  him  unerringly.  It  passes 
through  the  shield  into  his  cuirass,  and  he  falls  dead.  Car.  severs 
his  head  from  his  body,  searches  his  girdle,  and  finds  a  rich  shining 
gold  ring,  w-hich  he  at  once  breaks.  As  soon  as  it  is  broken,  all  the 
beasts  of  the  city  rush  suddenly  about  the  dead  body  and  show  it  no 
mercy.  "  Non  e  niuno  che  abi  pietade  "  (ii,  60,  6).  Car.  now 
mounts  his  horse,  and  goes  to  the  place  where  the  great  serpent  is. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descomis.  51 

4.  As  LD  sits  lamenting  the  escape  of  Irain,  a  window  in  the 
stone  wall  opens,  and  a  serpent  with  a  woman's  face  appears.  Her 
body  and  wings  shine  brightly.  Her  tail  is  unmete,  her  paws  "  grim 
and  grete."  LD  sweats  from  terror  as  she  draws  near.  "  Er  Libeaus 
hit  wiste"  (!)  the  serpent  kisses  him  and  coils  about  his  neck. 
Immediately  (!)  the  tail  and  wings  fall  off,  and  the  fairest  woman 
he  has  ever  seen  stands  naked  before  him. 

In  BI,  after  the  fight  the  minstrels  rush  off  with  a  terrific  uproar ; 
the  torches  go  out ;  BI  cannot  stand  at  first,  but  at  last  makes  his 
way  to  the  table,  leans  against  it,  and  prays  to  God  for  aid.  He 
regrets  his  rude  departure  from  *' la  damoisele  as  blances  mains," 
and  determines  to  go  to  seek  her  if  he  can  get  out,  and  never  to 
leave  her  again.  Thus  meditating,  he  is  aware  of  a  serpent  coming 
from  a  closet,  so  bright  she  illumines  the  whole  castle.  Her  eyes 
are  as  two  carbuncles.  In  her  tail  are  three  knots.  She  seems  to 
be  gilded  underneath.  BI  puts  his  hand  to  his  sword.  The  serpent 
bows  her  head  and  makes  signs  of  humility,  and  he  puts  it  back. 
He  repents ;  but  again  the  serpent  shows  signs  of  friendship.  He 
remains  still,  marvelling  at  her  beautiful  mouth.  She  fascinates  him 
by  her  look,  darts  to  him,  kisses  him  on  the  mouth,  and  turns  away. 
BI  is  about  to  strike ;  but  her  humble  bows  keep  him  from  it.  She 
returns  to  her  closet,  and  shuts  the  door  behind  her. 

In  Car.,  when  the  serpent  sees  Car.  return  to  her  she  rises  from 
her  position  and  throws  herself  "  a  salto  a  salto  "  towards  him. 

Come  1'  aguglia  quando  va  a  ferire, 

Cosi  fa  quella  biscia  alio  ver  dire,     (ii,  61,  7-8.) 

Car.  is  not  eager  to  approach,  and  his  horse  is  much  afraid ;  but 
at  last  he  summons  up  courage,  remembers  the  words  of  the  dwarf, 
and  with  his  drawn  sword  in  his  right  hand  "  il  cavalier  sovrano  " 
draws  near  the  serpent,  who  is  standing  "  umile  e  piano,"  and  kisses 
her  on  the  mouth.     Then  comes  the  glorious  transformation. 

De!  odi  quia  una  nuova  novella: 
Ch6  come  quella  serpe  fu  basciata 
Ella  SI  divcnU")  una  donzella 
Legiadra  e  adorna  e  tutta  angielicata ; 


52  J/:  //.   Sc  ho  field. 

De.  paradiso  uscita  pare  ella, 

D'  ongni  bellezza  ell'  era  adornata ; 

E  draghi  e  leoni  e  scrpenti 

Divcntar  come  prima,  ch'  eran  gienti.     (ii,  64.) 

It  sounds  like  a  thunderbolt  leaving  heaven  when  the  lady 
turns  into  her  former  shape,  for  then  are  the  powers  of  magic 
overcome. 

5.  In  LD  the  princess  at  once  tells  the  hero  that  he  must  be  of 
Gawein's  kin,  for  only  by  kissing  Gawein  or  one  of  his  race  could  she 
be  freed.  She  says  she  will  give  him  fifty  and  five  castles,  and  be  his 
wife,  if  it  be  Arthur's  will.  LD  is  very  glad  ;  but  leaps  on  his  horse 
at  once  and  leaves  the  lady  alone  —  fearing  Irain,  who  is  not  dead. 
He  rides  to  the  palace  and  tells  what  has  taken  place.  The  steward 
sends  handsome  robes,  kerchiefs,  garlands,  etc.  They  conduct  her 
home  and  put  on  her  head  a  crown  of  gold  and  stones  with  great 
rejoicing.     All  the  lords  do  her  homage. 

While  BI  is  quietly  ruminating  over  the  "  fier  baiser,"  he  hears  a 
voice  from  above,  which  tells  him  that  he  is  the  son  of  Gawein  and 
the  Fee  Blaticeinal^  and  that  his  right  name  is  Giglain.  Being  very 
tired,  he  falls  asleep  on  the  table,  with  his  head  on  his  shield.  When 
he  awakes,  it  is  broad  daylight,  and  there  stands  beside  him  a  more 
beautiful  woman  than  any  other  except  "cell  as  blances  mains." 
Her  dress  is  described  to  the  length  of  25  lines.  She  takes  nearly 
100  more  to  tell  him  the  situation.  She  is  the  daughter  of  the 
good  King  Gringars,  three  months  after  whose  death  she  and  the 
city  were  enchanted  by  Mabon  and  Eurain.  She  offers  him  her 
land.  Gales,  for  him  to  rule,  and  begs  to  become  his  wife.  He 
says  that  he  is  very  willing,  but  that  Arthur's  permission  must 
first  be  obtained.  H^lie,  Lampart,  Robert,  and  the  dwarf  come  to 
them  with  great  joy.  They  remove  BI's  armor,  and  find  him  badly 
wounded.  Every  care  is  taken  of  him,  and  he  is  conducted  to  a 
superb  apartment  in  which  nothing  is  lacking. 

In  Car.  the  disenchanted  princess  first  gives  thanks  to  Christ  the 
Saviour,  and  then,  holding  out  her  arms  to  Car.,  says  to  him  : 

'  Tu  sarai  V  amor  mio  fino.'     (ii,  65,  8.) 


1  This  is,  according  to  Foerster,  the  correct  form  in  the  manuscript.     See  Hist. 
Lift.,  XXX,  176,  note. 


Studies  on  the  Lib  cans  Dcsconus.  53 

Their  joy  surpasses  description.  The  dwarf,  knowing  what  has 
happened,  hurries  with  his  companion  into  the  city,  where  a  great 
feast  is  held. 

XI.   The  Conclusion. 

(LD,  2197-2232;   BI,  3428-6122;  Car.,  ii,  67-72.) 

Since  the  hero  has  attained  the  object  with  which  he  set  out  from 
Arthur's  court,  it  is  now  fitting  that  he  should  hasten  home  to 
announce  the  happy  accomplishment  of  his  mission.  The  English 
poet,  therefore,  takes  but  36  lines  in  which  to  complete  the  story. 
In  these  we  are  told  summarily  that,  after  seven  days'  stay  with  Lam- 
bard,  LD  and  the  rescued  princess  go  to  Arthur,  who  receives  them 
gladly  and  gives  the  lady  to  LD  to  wife.  The  bridal  ("which  no 
tale  tells  of")  is  of  the  best.  The  feast  lasts  40  days.  Arthur  with 
many  knights  conducts  them  home,  and  they  live  together  for  many 
years,  "  wip  moche  gle  and  game  "  (2228). 

In  Car.  also  it  requires  but  six  stanzas  to  finish  the  poem.  The 
news  of  the  liberated  city  goes  throughout  all  the  land,  even  to 
Arthur.  Car.  is  unwilUng  to  return  until  he  has  avenged  his 
father ;  but  when  Arthur  learns  who  he  really  is,  he  sends  ambassa- 
dors to  make  peace  and  beg  him  to  come  to  court.  Car.  stops  the 
war  he  is  waging  and  returns  with  the  ambassadors.  His  mother  is 
sent  for  and  comes  eagerly  to  court.  Calvano  and  his  brother  get 
on  their  knees  before  Car.,  and  ask  pardon  for  murdering  his  ftither. 
Car.  pardons  them.  The  king  makes  him  his  counsellor  and  one  of 
his  knights,  and  gives  him  the  rescued  princess  to  wife.  They  turn 
back  to  the  city  with  the  mother,  and 

con  giente  assai,  baroni,  e  donzelli.     (ii,  71,  8.) 

The  conclusion  reads  thus  : 

E  po'  furon  piu  savi  che  Merlino, 

Secondo  che  raconti  la  scrittura, 

E  'n  poco  tenpo  gli  nacjue  un  banbino, 

Miglior  di  lui  non  porto  armadura. 

Lo  re  Artu  amava  11  paladino, 

E  fue  de'  cavalier  dclla  ventura 

II  i)iii  prod'  uomo  e  '1  piu  forte  di  corte, 

Tutti  vi  guardi  Idio  dalla  ria  morte.     (ii,  72.) 


54  n:  H.  Schofidd. 

A  striking  contrast  presents  itself  when  we  look  at  the  French 
story.  It  is  now  not  much  more  than  half  finished.  The  poem  is 
continued  for  2700  lines  more,  and  the  author  follows  BI  through  a 
series  of  adventures  of  a  very  different  kind  from  those  in  which  he 
has  already  figured.  It  will  not  be  necessary  to  do  more  than  give  a 
brief  summary  of  the  rest  of  the  poem,  as  it  has  no  parallel  else- 
where, being  purely  the  invention  of  Renaud  de  Beaujeu. 

XII.   Continuation  of  BI. 

When  they  hear  of  their  lady's  rescue,  the  barons  and  dignitaries 
of  her  land  gather  to  the  desolate  city.  The  archbishop  and  clergy 
perform  religious  ceremonies  to  cleanse  the  city  of  sorcery.  The 
princess  tells  her  lords  she  wishes  to  marry  Giglain.  A  large  deputa- 
tion wait  on  the  latter  and  ask  him  to  accept  her  as  his  wife  ;  but  he 
declares  he  must  first  have  Arthur's  consent.  All  the  city  is  restored. 
The  princess,  Blonde  Esmeree,  gets  ready  to  leave  with  a  great  reti- 
nue. Giglain  is  cured  of  his  wounds  in  a  fortnight,  but  is  harassed 
by  thoughts  of  the  lady  "  as  blances  mains."  He  dreams  continu- 
ally of  her  as  he  saw  her  last  during  the  night.  He  feels  himself 
dying  of  love  for  her,  and  laments  his  rudeness  in  leaving  her  so 
abruptly.  He  asks  advice  of  Robert,  who  counsels  him  to  slip  off 
secretly  to  the  He  d'Or.  On  the  fourth  day  after,  the  queen  is 
ready  to  start  off  with  100  knights  in  her  company.  They  await 
BI,  who  finally  comes  up  armed.  They  wonder  at  this ;  but  he  tells 
them  he  is  called  elsewhere ;  they  must  go  on  without  him ;  he  will 
follow  as  soon  as  he  can.  The  queen  is  exceeding  sad,  but  must 
submit.  BI  rides  eagerly  to  the  He  d'Or.  Outside  the  castle  he 
meets  a  great  company.  His  loved  one  is  among  them,  and  he  draws 
aside  to  talk  with  her.  He  pours  out  his  love ;  but  she  is  indignant 
at  his  former  conduct,  and  leaves  him  alone  in  his  despair.  Robert 
gets  lodging  for  them  both  at  the  place  where  they  had  stayed 
before,  and  tries  to  cheer  his  lord  ;  but  Giglain  is  in  imminent  danger 
of  death  because  of  his  unrequited  love.  Then  comes  a  young  lady 
bearing  a  message  from  the  fee  inviting  him  to  her  presence.  He 
declares  himself  healed,  and  goes  with  the  messenger  to  the  palace, 
passing  through  an  orchard  of  surpassing  beauty.  Giglain  is  par- 
doned  by  the  fee,  who   tries   unsuccessfully  to   conceal   her   love. 


Studies  oil  the  Libeaiis  D  esc  onus.  55 

That  night  he  is  given  a  room  next  hers,  and  the  door  is  left  open ; 
but  she  warns  him  not  to  stir  from  his  bed.  The  open  door,  however, 
is  too  much  to  be  resisted.  He  finally  decides  to  go  to  her ;  but  just 
when  he  thinks  himself  in  her  room,  he  finds  himself  instead  on  a 
plank  over  a  tempestuous  stream.  It  is  so  narrow  he  cannot  go 
ahead  or  retreat,  and  in  his  terror  he  calls  aloud  for  help.  The  ser- 
vants rush  in  with  candles,  and  find  him  hanging  from  the  sparrow- 
hawk's  perch.  He  goes  to  bed  much  ashamed ;  but  when  the 
servants  are  asleep  he  tries  again.  This  time  he  fancies  the  ceiling 
is  falling  on  him,  and  he  again  calls  for  aid.  The  servants  find  him 
with  his  pillow  over  his  head.  He  gives  himself  up  to  his  shame  and 
remorse.  All  at  once  a  maiden  appears,  and  summons  him  to  the 
presence  of  the  fee.  At  first  he  fears  he  dreams ;  but,  being  reas- 
sured, he  goes  with  her  to  a  chamber  which  seems  to  him  like  para- 
dise. His  loved  one  no  longer  has  scruples,  and  the  two  give 
themselves  up  to  each  other.  Giglain  tells  her  laughingly  of  his 
former  terror,  and  she  explains  how  she  happened  to  know  magic. 
She  knew  he  would  return  to  her.  She  had  guided  his  whole  life, 
had  prompted  Ht§lie  to  seek  aid  at  Arthur's  court,  had  aided  him  in 
all  his  adventures,  and  had  revealed  to  him  his  name.  As  long  as 
he  will  follow  her  counsel  he  shall  want  nothing ;  but  if  he  depart 
from  it,  he  shall  lose  her.  In  the  morning  she  summons  her  barons 
and  commends  Giglain  to  them  as  their  lord. 

Meanwhile  the  queen  has  reached  Arthur's  court  (having  on  the 
way  met  those  whom  Giglain  had  sent  to  the  king),  where  she  is 
welcomed.  She  tells  of  the  bravery  of  Giglain,  whom  she  declares  to 
be  the  son  of  Gawein,  and  begs  that  he  be  given  her  for  a  husband. 
Arthur  rejoices,  and  proclaims  a  great  tourney  in  Valledon,  by  which 
he  hopes  to  lure  Giglain  to  court.  News  of  it  comes  to  the  He  d'Or, 
and  our  hero  hears  it  gladly.  The  fee  declares  he  must  not  go  : 
if  he  does,  he  will  never  return  to  her.  He  protests  his  love,  but 
is  determined  to  go,  and  tells  Robert  to  make  ready.  She,  knowiuj^ 
that  he  is  lost  to  her,  transports  him  during  the  night  to  the  woods, 
and  when  he  awakes  he  finds  everything  ready  and  Robert  beside 
him.  He  fears  that  through  his  folly  his  loved  one  is  lost  to  him, 
but  decides  to  go  on  to  Valledon.  There  then  follows  a  long- 
winded  description  of  the  tournament,  covering  many  pages.  Of 
course  Giglain  is  victorious  in  every  encounter,  and  we  can  give  no 


56  W.  H.  Schoficld. 

answer  to  the  question  of  tlic  author:  "Que  vos  iroie  je  contant?" 
(5953)  except  to  say  that  he  has  done  his  duty  too  well.  Then 
follow  scenes  between  Giglain  and  Arthur,  Giglain  and  those  he  had 
before  conquered,  Giglain  and  the  queen,  etc.  The  hero  agrees,  at 
Arthur's  request,  to  marry  the  queen,  and  with  a  great  company  they 
set  out  for  Sinadoun,  where  they  are  received  with  great  rejoicing. 
Giglain  marries  Blonde  Esmerde  and  is  crowned  king. 

Puis  fu  rois  de  moult  grant  memore. 
Si  com  raconte  li  istore.     (6101-2.) 

Renals  de  Biauju,  the  author,  now  finishes  with  another  expression 
of  his  love,  and  prays  his  loved  one,  for  God's  sake,  not  to  forget 
him.  If  she  shows  him  "  biau  sanblant,"  he  says  he  will  bring  (in 
a  new  romance)  Giglaui  back  to  his  true  love.  If  not,  he  will  never 
speak  of  him  again. 

Si  art  Giglains  en  tel  esmai, 

Que  jamais  n'avera  s'amie.     (61 16-7.) 

WHEREIN  THE   POEMS  AGREE. 

Having  thus  given  a  detailed  comparison  of  the  different  features 
of  the  four  poems,  it  is  not  necessary  to  repeat  at  length  all  the 
disagreements  between  LD  and  BI.  There  are  at  least  150  sig- 
nificant points  in  which  the  two  poems  differ.  It  is  well,  however, 
to  call  attention  to  points  in  which  LD  agrees  with  Car.  as  opposed 
to  BI ;  for,  inasmuch  as  we  cannot  admit  any  connection  between 
the  Enghsh  and  the  Italian  poems,  agreements  between  them  as 
opposed  to  the  French  poem  are  of  no  little  importance.-'  These 
are,  then,  as  follows  : 

Agreements  of  LD  and  Car.  as  opposed  to  BI. 

I.  The  introductions  are  the  same  in  general  features.  A  young 
boy  is  brought  up  alone  in  a  forest  by  his  mother,  and  is  strictly  kept 
aloof  from  all  men.  He  discovers  by  accident  the  existence  of  other 
human  beings,  and  is  unwilling  to  remain  longer  living  in  his  isolation. 


^  For  the  relations  of  this  comparison  to  the  work  previously  done  by  Kolbing, 
Paris,  Mennung,  and  Kaluza,  see  above,  p.  4,  n.  i. 


Studies  on  the  Libeatis  Descomis.  57 

He  finds  his  way  to  Arthur's  court,  and  asks  to  be  made  a  knight. — 
In  BI  nothing  at  all  is  told  of  his  early  history  :  he  comes  unex- 
pectedly and  suddenly  to  court,  and,  before  he  will  dismount, 
demands  that  Arthur  grant  the  first  request  he  shall  make. 

2.  The  king  at  once  openly  asks  his  name.  —  In  BI  it  is  not  until 
they  have  been  for  some  time  seated  at  the  feast  that  Arthur  sends 
Bediver  secretly  to  inquire  who  his  guest  is. 

3.  In  Car.  and  LD  it  is  not  until  after  the  welcome  is  extended 
to  the  stranger  that  they  go  to  meat.  —  In  BI  they  are  at  the  table 
when  he  rides  up. 

4.  The  dwarf  protests  against  the  sending  of  the  young  knight.  — 
In  BI  he  says  nothing  while  at  court. 

5.  The  king  receives  the  protests  with  :  "  This  knight,  or  none  !  " 
—  In  BI  he  says  he  cannot  help  sending  the  young  man  :  he  would 
if  he  could. 

6.  The  lady  and  the  dwarf  remain  until  the  young  knight  is  ready 
to  accompany  them.  —  In  BI  they  ride  off,  and  have  gone  some  dis- 
tance before  he  overtakes  them. 

7.  There  is  no  hint  in  LD  or  Car.  of  Robert,  who  is  one  of  the 
most  important  characters  in  BI. 

8.  Although  the  messenger  is  angry,  she  never  refuses  the  boy's 
services.  —  In  BI  she  is  constantly  begging  him  to  return.  He  rides 
with  her  against  her  will. 

9.  In  LD  and  Car.  the  hero  hears  the  maiden  in  distress  calling 

on  the  Virgin  Mary.     There  are  no  definite  words  of  the  lament 

inBI.     Cf. 

'■  O  Vergine  gloriosa 

Guardami,  niadre,  di  crudele  afanno, 
Che  io  non  muoia  cotanto  penosa 
Ni  mia  verginita  non  ronpa  panne'     (ii,  28,  1-4.) 
with 

'  Nou  help,  Marie  milde, 
For  love  of  ^y  childe, 

pat  I  be  nou5t  forjite!' 
Quo!)  Libeaus  :  '  Be  seint  Jame! 
To  save  Ms  maide  fro  schame 

Hit  wer  a  fair  aprise.'     (634  ff.) 

10.  The  hero  starts  off  alone  to  the  adventure  with  the  giants. — 
In  BI  he  has  to  wait  until  his  horse  is  brought  by  Robert,  and  until 


5S  JV.  II.   Sc  ho  field 

the  whole  company  get  ready  to  join  liim.     Robert  serves  as  a  guide 
and  discovers  the  giant  for  him. 

11.  The  giant  by  the  fire  uses  as  a  weapon  the  spit  he  is  roasting 
with.  —  In  BI  he  uses  a  ckib. 

12.  The  maiden  is  the  daughter  of  a  knight  near  by.  —  In  BI  her 
father  is  not  mentioned,  though  her  brother  is. 

13.  She  had  been  carried  off  by /zc^  giants.  —  In  BI  one  alone 
takes  her  and  brings  her  to  his  companion  in  the  wood. 

14.  The  enchantress  plays  but  a  small  part  in  LD  and  Car.,  com- 
pared with  the  part  she  plays  in  BI.  She  has  no  love  for  the  young 
hero ;  and  he  neither  returns  to  her  nor  desires  to  return.  The 
extent  of  the  episode  of  the  enchantress  in  BI,  and  the  different 
treatment,  have  been  recognized  by  all  investigators  as  points  of 
great  importance. 

15.  When  the  hero  is  about  to  enter  the  enchanted  city  there  is 
no  sad  farewell  with  his  companions.  —  In  BI  there  is  much  weeping. 
Robert  even  falls  in  a  swoon  to  the  ground. 

16.  The  transformation  of  the  enchanted  lady  takes  place  at  once 
after  the  kiss  is  given.  —  In  BI  she  returns  to  the  closet  whence  she 
had  issued,  closes  the  door  behind  her,  and  does  not  return  until  the 
knight  is  awake  from  his  sleep  and  it  is  broad  daylight. 

17.  In  Car.  and  LD  the  point  just  mentioned  (16)  is  the  real 
culmination  of  the  story.  —  In  BI  the  story  is  now  not  much  more 
than  half  finished.  Long  descriptions  of  the  return  visit  to  the  He 
d'Or  and  the  great  tournament  remain  to  be  given.  There  is  no 
trace  of  these  in  LD  or  Car. 

18.  The  young  knight  marries  the  disenchanted  lady  gladly.  He 
has  no  desire  for  any  one  else.  —  In  BI  he  does  indeed,  after  a  time, 
marry  her  at  the  request  of  the  king;  but  the  enchantress  still 
remains  his  true  love,  to  whom  he  is  to  return  if  the  supplementary 
poem  is  ever  written. 

19.  In  Car.  and  two  MSS.  of  LD  (Ashmole  and  Naples)  the 
boy's  mother  appears  again  at  the  end  of  the  story. 

Agreements  of  LD,  Car.,  and  Wig.,  as  opposed  to  BI. 

The  agreements  between  LD  and  Wig.  as  opposed  to  BI,  are  also 
highly  significant.     Some  of  them  occur  in  features  (e.g.  the  advent- 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descomis.  59 

ure  with  the  dog)  which  are  not  found  in  Car.  at  all.  For  the  whole 
matter,  see  the  chapter  on  Wigalois,  pp.  208  ff.,  below.  At  this 
stage  of  the  argument  it  is  important  to  indicate  that  while  there  is 
really  no  point  in  which  all  three  poems,  BI,  Car.,  and  Wig.,  agree 
as  opposed  to  LD,  there  are  several  in  which  LD,  Car.,  and  Wig. 
agree  as  opposed  to  BI.  These  are  the  following:  (i.)  All  three 
tell  of  the  youth  of  the  hero,  and  explain  why  he  comes  to  court.^ 
(2.)  He  is  humble  and  courteous  in  his  demeanor  while  there. 
(3.)  The  king  at  once  inquires  his  name.  (4.)  He  asks  to  be  made 
a  knight.  (5.)  The  table  is  made  ready  after  he  comes.  (6.)  He 
starts  off  alone  to  undertake  the  fight  with  the  giants.  (7.)  There  is 
no  Robert,  no  return  visit  to  the  He  d'Or,  etc.  BI  has  a  host  of 
details  and  other  new  features  found  nowhere  else. 

Moreover,  this  list  would  be  largely  extended  if  all  the  adventures 
were  found  in  all  of  the  poems  :  Car.  has  some  which  Wig.  has  not, 
and  Wig.  has  some  not  in  Car. 

RELATION   OF   LD   TO   BI. 

Such  considerations  as  these  have  convinced  Paris,  and  those  who 
accept  his  views,  that  the  English  Libeaus  Desconus  is  not  based  on 
the  poem  of  Renaud  de  Beaujeu,  but  that  the  two  go  back  to  a  com- 
mon original ;  yet,  as  we  have  seen,  Kaluza  and  many  other  scholars 
are  not  affected  by  them.  I  shall  now  adduce  certain  additional 
arguments,  which  it  is  hoped  may  assist  to  demonstrate  the  sound- 
ness of  Paris's  position. 

I.  Proper  Names.  Of  the  177  proper  names  in  BI  28  only  occur 
in  LD  ;^  i.e.  there  are  149  names  in  BI  which  are  not  found  in  LD. 

^  True,  Kaluza  holds  {Introd.,  pp.  Ix,  cxxxiii)  that  the  introductory  strophes  in 
LD  did  not  originally  belong  there,  merely  because  they  differ  slightly  in  metre 
from  the  rest  of  the  poem,  with  one  exception  where  the  same  metre  is  again 
used;  but,  as  Kaluza  admits,  this  change  in  form  is  not  unexampled  in  English 
poetry,  and  it  may  be  due  merely  to  the  caprice  of  the  poet.  Moreover,  as  Paris 
points  out  {Rom.,  XX,  299),  this  introduction  is  in  all  the  MSS.,  recalls  the  essen- 
tial features  of  the  opening  of  the  Cardtdno,  and  (cf.  pp.  191,  192)  is  exactly  the 
account  given  of  the  birth  of  our  hero  (?)  in  one  continuation  of  the  Perceval. 
These  considerations  far  outweigh  any  conclusions  drawn  only  from  a  capricious 
change  of  metre. 

'^  According  to  Kaluga's  index,  there  are  in  all  51  proper  names  in  LD,  but 
several  of  those  in  LD  which  are  not  in  HI  are  merely  saints'  names  used  in 


6o  W.  17.   Schoficld. 

Of  these  149,  some  140  are  also  missing  in  both  Car.  and 
Wig.  Of  course  the  author  of  LD  might  conceivably,  if  he  were 
making  over  Renaud's  poem,  have  omitted  all  these  names  inten- 
tionally. But,  in  this  case,  it  would  be  strange  that  Wirnt,  whose 
relations  with  Renaud's  poem,  whatever  they  may  be,  are  not  the 
same  as  those  of  the  English  author,  and  who,  in  any  case,  was  in  no 
kind  of  communication  with  LD,  should  have  no  name  in  that  part 
of  Wig.  which  is  based  on  the  same  story  as  LD  which  is  not  in  the 
English  poem.  And  the  complication  of  chances  rises  into  impossi- 
bility when  one  observes  that  Car.,  standing  in  a  very  different  rela- 
tion to  Renaud's  poem  from  both  LD  and  Wig.,  and  by  no  possibility 
derived  from  Renaud,  also  omits  the  140  names  in  question.  It  is 
surely  more  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  names  omitted  in  LD 
were,  at  least  in  great  part,  not  in  the  original  of  LD  nor  in  that  of 
BI  than  to  assume  such  an  accidental  coincidence  of  omission  in  LD, 
Wig.,  Car.,  —  three  poems  written  in  different  languages,  at  different 
times,  and  in  different  countries. 

IL  Borrowings  of  B I  from  Erec.  Under  this  head,  I  do  not 
intend  to  consider  borrowings  of  "saga-material,"  of  which  several 
probable  instances  have  been  pointed  out  by  Mennung,^  but  borrow- 
ings in  the  matter  of  phraseology,  and  even  of  long  descriptions. 
Such  borrowings  have  not,  so  far  as  I  know,  been  hitherto  noticed,^ 
and  their  importance  for  the  decision  of  the  question  at  issue  is 
obvious. 

A  few  of  the  most  striking  parallels  may  be  given  first.  In  each 
case  the  BI  passage  is  in  the  left-hand  column.^ 


adjurations,  of  which  the  English  poet  is  fond,  e.g.  Denis,  Edward,  Gile,  Jame, 
John,  Michell;  and  others  are  insignificant,  e.g.  Bedlem,  June,  Kent,  Satan,  Ter- 
magaunt,  Wirhale.  For  a  list  of  the  proper  names  in  BI,  see  the  appendix  to 
this  volume. 

^  Der  Bel  Inconmt,  pp.  16, 49.  Cf.  Paris,  Rom.  XX,  299-300.  These  instances 
will  all  be  discussed  later  (see  below,  pp.  133,  134).  For  a  consideration  of  the 
way  in  which  Renaud  has  modified  some  of  the  narrative  features  of  his  original 
in  his  desire  to  imitate  the  Erec,  see  below,  pp.  106  ff.  This  last  consideration 
will  be  found  to  add  strength  to  the  argument  from  phraseology,  etc. 

2  Paris,  Rom.,  XX,  300,  n.  4,  says  that  Renaud  "  avait  beaucoup  lu  Chretien." 
^  Some  of  the  most  significant  parallels  will  be  found  in  the  next  chapter  (pp. 
112  ff.;  see,  e.g.,  pp.  130-1).     In  the  passages  from  BI  the  edition  of  Hippeau 
has  been  followed,  and  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  correct  his  frequently  absurd 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus. 


6i 


Similar  Passages  in  BI  and  Erec. 


Tant  durement  le  tire  et  sace, 
Que  Pelme  del  cief  li  esrace. 
Cil  n'a  pooir  de  relever ; 
Que  que  il  doie  li  grever, 
Li  convient  dire  et  consentir : 
'  Conquis  m'aves  ! ' 

(1773  ff.  ;  cf.  1160.) 


Et  sache  et  tire  si  que  toz 
Les  laz  de  son  hiaume  a  deroz 

Ne  n^a  pooir  de  relever. 
Que  que  il  li  doie  grever, 
Li  covient  dire  et  otroiier : 
'Conquis  m'avez.' 

(6003-10;  cf.  5041-2.) 
Cf. 
Erec  par  le  hiaume  le  sache, 
A  force  del  chief  li  arrache. 

(985-6.) 


La  dame  par  le  main  le  guie 
Sor  une  kuite  de  brun  pale 
Qu'aportee  fu  de  Tesale, 
Iluec  se  sont  andoi  asis. 
(2256  ff.) 


An  une  chanbre  fu  assise 
Dessor  une  coute  de  paille, 
Qu'aportee  fu  de  Tessaille. 
(2406  ff.) 


spelling  and  grammar.  Foerster's  excellent  edition  of  Erec  has  been  used  for 
the  extracts  from  that  poem.  On  the  one  hand,  then,  the  passages  are  taken 
from  a  very  inexact  transcript  of  a  single  MS.,  on  the  other  from  a  text  edited 
from  several  MSS.  If  we  had  the  exact  MS.  of  Erec  which  Renaud  used,  the 
parallels  would  doubtless  show  even  greater  similarity  than  appears  here.  We 
may  note  that  there  is  also  a  text  of  Erec  in  the  codex  in  the  library  of  the  Due 
d'Aumale  which  contains  the  unique  text  of  BL  Of  the  text  of  BI  Foerster  says 
{Zt.  f.  rom.  Phil.,  II,  78) :  "  Der  Ilippeau'sche  Text  kann  nur  ini  uneigentlichen 
Sinne  als  eine  Ausgabe  des  im  Aumalecudex  geschriebenen  Textes  angesehen 
werden.  Nicht  nur  dass  hunderte  von  Zeilen  niclit  allein  dem  Wortlaut,  sondern 
auch  dem  Sinne  nach  gcandert  sind,  so  sind  etvva  80  Zeilen  ausgelassen,  9  neue 
Verse  statt  der  bestehenden,  die  II.  offenliar  niclU  gefielcn,  und  10  neue  Verse 
statt  der  in  der  lis.  fehlcnden  von  ihm  selbst  geschmiedet,  ohne  dass  ctwas  von 
all  dem  auch  nur  mit  einem  Sterbenswortchen  angcdeutct  wiirde."  Cf.  also  the 
words  of  Mussafia,  who  in  his  review  of  BI  has  pointed  out  some  necessary  cor- 
rections in  the  text  {yahrb.  f.  rom.  u.  engl.  Lit.,  IV,  419  ff.).  A  good  edition 
would  in  all  probability  only  make  the  parallels  closer.  It  is  evident  further 
that  the  text  of  Erec  may  be  of  importance  in  determining  that  of  BI,  or  vice 
versa. 


62 


/K  IL  Schofidd. 


Un  tapit  a  tait  aporter. 
Quant  ;\  terre  fu  estendus, 
Si  est  tost  cele  part  venus ; 
Et  puis  est  se  Lanpars  asis 
Sor  I'image  d'un  lupart  bis, 
Que  el  tapis  estoit  portraite. 
De  lui  aimer  forment  s'afaite. 
Cauces  de  fer  li  font  caucier 
Qui  moult  faisoient  k  prisier. 
(2595  ff.) 

Es  vos  son  ceval  c'on  amaine ; 
11  i  sailli  de  terre  plaine. 
La  pucele  Tescu  li  tent, 
Et  il  par  le  grince  le  prent. 
Au  col  le  mist,  puis  prist  sa  lance. 
(1037  ff.) 


Lors  s'entrevienent  anbedui 
Des  lances  de  totes  leur  forces ; 
Ne  leur  valurent  11  escorces 
Li  escus  qui  as  cols  lor  pendent, 
Li  cuir  ronpent  et  les  ais  fendent, 
Les  mailles  ronpent  des  haubers, 
Par  les  cors  se  metent  les  fers ; 
Si  durement  se  sont  feru 
Que  andoi  se  sont  abatu  ; 
Ne  furent  pas  a  mort  blecid ; 
Isnement  se  sont  redrecie. 
Cascuns  a  sa  lance  a  lui  traite, 
II  n'i  ot  cele  qui  fust  fraite  ; 
El  pavement  les  ont  jetdes  ; 
Del  fuerre  traient  les  espdes  ; 
Grans  cols  se  fierent  des  brans  nus, 
Sor  les  elmes,  sor  les  escus. 
(2992  ff.) 


Et  fist  un  tapit  de  Limoges 
Devant  lui  a  la  terre  estandre. 

Erec  s'assist  de  Tautre  part 
Dessus  rimage  d'un  liepart. 
Qui  el  tapit  estoit  portreite. 
Por  armer  s'atorne  et  afeite  : 
Premieremant  si  fist  lacier 
Unes  chances  de  blanc  acier. 
(2628-38.) 


4- 


Puis  comande  qu'an  li  amaint 
Son  cheval,  et  Tan  li  amainne. 
Sus  est  sailliz  de  terre  plainne. 
La  pucele  aporte  Tescu 
Et  la  lance  qui  roide  fu, 
L'escu  li  bailie,  et  il  le  prant. 
Par  la  guige  a  son  col  le  pant. 
(718  ff.) 

As  fers  des  lances  s"'antranvient 
Anbedui  de  totes  lor  forces. 
Ne  lor  valurent  deus  escorces 
Li  escu  qui  as  cos  lor  pandent. 
Li  cuir  ronpent  et  les  es  fandent, 
Et  des  haubers  ronpent  les  mailles. 
Anbedui  jusque  as  antrailles 
Se  sont  des  gleives  anferre, 
Et  li  destrier  sont  aterre  ; 
Car  mout  ierent  li  baron  fort. 
Ne  furent  pas  navre  a  mort, 
Mes  duremant  furent  blecie. 
Isnelemant  sont  redreci^, 
S'ont  a  aus  lor  lances  retreites ; 
Ne  furent  maumises  ne  freites. 
Anmi  le  chanp  les  ont  gitees. 
Del  fuerre  traient  les  espees, 

Si  granz  cos  sor  les  hiaumes  fierent 

Les  escuz  fandent  et  esclicent. 
(3774-97-) 


Studies  on  the  Liheaiis  Descofius. 


63 


6. 


Et  quant  il  le  chevalier  voit, 
A  haute  vois  lors  li  escrie  : 
'  Vasal,  vasal,  or  est  folie 
De  mon  cien  qu'en  faites  porter  ! 
Or  le  vos  estuet  conperer.' 
(1388  ff.) 
Cf. 
Folie  fu  del  gue  passer ; 
Je  vos  I'ferai  cier  comparer. 

(395-6-) 
and 
Le  m'aves  fait  cier  conperer. 
(4309;  cf.  1384,  1349.) 


Eingois  qu'Erec  veil  I'etist, 
Si  s'escria :  *  Vassaus,  vassaus  ! 
Fos  estes  .  .  . 

Vos  conparroiz  ancui  mout  chier 
Vostre  folie,  par  ma  teste  ! ' 
(5906-5913.) 

Cf. 
Folie  t'a  amen^  9a  .  .  . 
Moult  le  t'estuet  conparer  chier. 
(848-50.) 

Also 
*  Vassaus,'  fet  il,  'folie  feites.' 

(4027;  see4oi5, 4418, 4428, 4818.) 


7- 


Moult  orent  andui  beles  armes 
Les  escu  prendent  as  enarmes ; 
Cevals  poingnent  por  tost  aler,  .  .  . 
Fendent  escus,  faussent  haubers,  .  . 
Des  lances  les  esclisses  volent ;  .  .  . 
Des  tron(;ons  donent  grans  coldes  ; 
Apres  revienent  as  espees. 
Si  s'en  vont  eus  entre  ferir. 
Lors  oissi^s  elmes  tentir,  .  .  . 
Moult  fiert  bien  cascuns  de  Tesp^e ; 
Moult  est  dure  d'els  la  mellde ; 
Moult  sont  vasal,  fier  caple  font, 
Lor  elme  tot  embark  sont 
Et  lor  escu  tot  decop^. 
Si  furent  andui  moult  lass^,  .  .  . 
Li  ceval  se  vont  esloignant  .  .  . 
A  la  terre  caient  andui : 
Moult  prioit  Deu  cascuns  por  lui. 
(1400-29.) 


Et  les  escuz  [pranent]  par  les  enarmes. 
Andui  orent  mout  beles  armes. 

(2195-6.) 
Por  assanbler  les  chevaus  poingnent, 

Les  lances  esclicent  et  froissent,  .  .  . 
Contre  terre  anbedui  se  ruient, 
Li  cheval  par  le  chanp  s'an  fuient  .  .  . 
Des   tranchanz   granz    cos    s'antre- 

donent, 
Li  hiaume  quassent  et  resonent. 
Fiers  est  li  chaples  des  espees : 
Mout  s'antredonent  granz  colees,  .  .  . 
Tranchent  escuz,  faussent  haubers  . . . 
Li  chaples  dure  longuemant : 
Tant  se  fierent  menuemant 
Que  tot  se  lassent  et  recroient. 
Andeus  les  puceles  ploroient : 
Chascuns  voit  la  soe  plorer, 
A  Deu  ses  mains  tandre  et  orer. 
(866-92.) 


Mais  grant  dol  fait  la  damoisele. 
Ses  puins  tort,  ses  cevels  decire 
Cele  qui  a  et  dol  et  ire,  .  .  . 


La  pucele  aloit  detirant 
Ses  mains,  et  ses  crins  descirant. 
(4331-2) 


64 


u:  II.  Schoficid. 


Cil  demanda  h  la  pucele  : 
'  Por  coi  plor<5s,  amie  bele, 
S'il  vos  plait,  je  le  veul  savoir.' 
(1538-49.) 


Cele  qui  Tesprevier  ara 
Et  a  la  perce  le  prendra, 
Si  ara  los  de  la  plus  bele, 
Et  si  convient  a  la  pucele 
Qui  vaura  aveir  I'esprevier, 
Que  maint  o  soi  I  chevalier, 
Por  desrainier  qu'ele  est  plus  bele 
Que  nule  dame,  ne  pucele. 
(1574  ff)i 


9- 


Si  li  a  demando  et  dit : 
•  Dites  moi,  bele  amie  chiere, 
Por  quoi  plorez  an  tel  meniere  ? 
De  quoi  avez  ire  ne  duel  ? 
Certes  je  le  savrai  mon  vuel.' 
(2514  fF.  ;  cf.  i960.) 

Qui  Tesprevier  voudra  avoir, 
Avoir  li  covandra  amie 
Bele  et  sage  sanz  vilenie. 
S'il  i  a  chevalier  si  os 
Qui  vuelle  le  pris  et  le  los 
De  la  plus  bele  desresnier, 
S'amie  fera  Tesprevier 
Devant  toz  a  la  perche  prandre. 
(570  ff.) 


Ensi  vers  le  castel  s"en  vont ; 
Passent  les  lices  et  le  pont. 
(1640-1.) 


Einsi  vers  le  chastel  s'an  vont, 
Passent  les  lices  et  le  pont. 
(5493-4-) 


'Ven^s  avant,  ma  douce  amie. 
Prendre  a  la  perce  I'esprevier. 
Par  vos  le  veul  je  desrainier. 
Car  vos  le  deves  moult  avoir, 
Tant  av^s  biaute  et  savoir, 
Ensement  et  pris  et  valor.' 
(1685  ff.) 


*  Bele,'  fet  il,  '  avant  venez  ! 
L'oisel  a  la  perche  prenez  ; 
Car  bien  est  droiz  que  vos  I'aiiez. 

Del  desresnier  tres  bien  me  vant, 
Que  a  vos  ne  s'an  prant  nes  une,  . 
Ne  de  biautd  ne  de  valor.' 
(827-35-) 


Armes  sor  un  ceval  ferrant. 
(1695.) 


Arm^  sor  un  cheval  ferrant. 
(1122.) 


13- 


Vostre  estre  et  vostre  non  me  dites.     Vostre  estre  et  vostre  non  me  dites. 
(1782.)  (3862.) 


1  The  difference  in  these  two  passages  is  due  to  the  fact  that  in  one  case 
Margerie  needs  a  knight  to  support  her,  while  Erec  must  get  an  a7}iie  before  he 
can  enter  the  tournament. 


Studies  on  the  Libeatis  Desconus. 


65 


14. 


Taventure, 
Qui  tant  est  perilleuse  et  dure! 
(3195-6.) 

s'aventure, 
Qui  moult  estoit  greves  et  dure. 

(1953-4-) 
Cf.  4816-7:  aventure  :  dure. 

Des  fueres  traient  les  espdes, 
Dont  il  se  donnent  grans  colees. 
Les  escus  treient  et  esclissent, 
Haumes  effondrent  et  debrissent, 
Les  haubers  rompent  et  desmaillent 
Des  espees  souvent  s'asaillent ; 
Sor  les  elmes  tels  cols  feroient 
Que  estinceles  en  voloient. 

(2132  ff.) 
Cf. 
Escus  fendent,  hiaumes  esclicent, 
Elmes  esfondrent  et  deslicent. 

(5599-5600.) 
Et  cil  trait  del  fuere  s'espde. 

(3148.) 

Tot  cil  qui  cele  joste  virent 
Moult  durement  s'en  esbahirent. 
(2126-7.) 

Et  la  dame  s'i  est  asise,  .  .  . 
Li  Desconndus  siet  les  li, 
Et  Helie  tot  autresi. 
(2281-4.) 


Tavanture 
Qui  tant  est  perilleuse  et  dure. 
(543 1 -2-) 


IS- 


Del  fuerre  traient  les  espees, 

Si  granz  cos  sor  les  hiaumes  fierent 
Qu'estanceles  ardanz  an  issent, 
Quant  les  espees  ressortissent. 
Les  escuz  fandent  et  esclicent, 
Lor  haubers  faussent  et  deslicent. 

(3790-8.) 
Cf. 
Del  fuerre  a  fors  I'espee  treite.        ^ 

(3054;  cf.  4668.) 


16. 


17- 


Tuit  cil  qui  ceste  joste  virent 
A  mervoilles  s'an  esbairent. 
(221 1-2.) 

II  se  sont  assis  tuit  troi, 
Erec  et  ses  ostes  lez  soi, 
Et  la  pucele  d'autre  part. 
(481  ff.) 


Et  deriere  ot  ses  crins  jetds ; 
D'un  fil  d'or  les  ot  galonds. 
De  roses  avoit  i  capel 
Moult  avenant  et  gent  et  bel 
D'un  afrcmail  son  col  frema. 
(2229  ff.) 


Les  deus  puceles  d'un  fil  d'or 
Li  out  galond  son  crin  sor; 
Mes  plus  estoit  kiisanz  li  crins 
Que  li  fis  d'or  qui  mout  est  fins, 
Un  cercelet  ovrc  a  flors 


66 


ii:  11.  Schoficid. 


Les  crins  ot  blons  et  reluisans, 
Coinme  fin  or  reflanboians. 
D'un  fil  d'arge  fu  galonn<5e. 

(1 530  IT.) 
Or  fu  tant  avenant  et  bele 
Que  nus  horn  son  per  ne  trovast, 
En  tout  le  mont,  tant  le  cerkast. 

(5078  ff.) 
Si  Tavait  bien  nature  ouvrde. 

(2206.) 

Plus  de  c.  mars  d'argent  valoit. 
(2350-) 


al  main  que  I'aube  creva. 
Isnelement  et  tost  leva ; 


Deus  fermaillez  d'or  neelez 
An  une  cople  anseelez 
Li  mist  au  col  une  pucele. 
Or  fu  tant  avenanz  et  bele 
Que  ne  cuit  pas  qu'an  nule  terre, 
Tant  selist  Tan  cerchier  ne  querre, 
Fust  sa  paroille  recovree  ; 
Tant  I'avoit  bien  Nature  ovree. 
(1655-72.) 


19. 


20. 


Qui  plus  de  ^ant  mars  d'arjant  vaut. 

(1636.) 
Cf. 
Plus  de  cent  mars  dargent  ualoit. 

(Forster's  note  to  2380,  1.  28.) 

L'andemain  lues  que  Taube  crieve 
Isnelemant  et  tost  se  lieve, 


Venus  s'en  est  a  la  capele. 

(2449-53.) 
Cf. 
Au  main  quant  li  aube  est  crevde, 
Si  se  leve  Blonde  Esmerde. 

(6065-6.) 


Au  mostier  vont. 
(697-700.) 
Cf. 
L'andemain  lues  que  il  ajorne, 
Erec  se  lieve,  si  s"atorne. 
(4279-80.) 


Lances  reprendent  por  joster 
Et  laissent  tost  cevals  aler ; 
Et  puis  durement  s'entrevienent, 
Les  lances  alongdes  tienent ; 
Si  se  fierent  de  tel  angoisse 
Que  I'une  lance  Tautre  froisse. 
(2630  ff.) 
For  the  rhyme,  (par  tel)  angoisse  : 
froisse,  see  also  BI,  4551-2;   5529- 
30 :  and  Erec,  361 1-2. 

22 
Lors  furent  vallet  aprestd 
Qui  maintenant  Pont  desarmd. 
(2678-9.) 


Chascuns  au  plus  tost  que  il  pot 
A  sa  lance  retreite  a  lui. 
Si  s'antrevienent  anbedui, 
Et  revienent  a  droite  joste. 
Li  uns  ancontre  Tautre  joste, 
Si  se  fierent  par  tel  angoisse 
Que  Tune  et  I'autre  lance  froisse. 
(5950  ff.) 


Lors  furent  vaslet  aprestd, 
Qui  le  corurent  desarmer. 
(1242-3;  cf.  4283.) 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconui. 


67 


Cf. 

Vallet  le  corent  desarmer. 

De  sus  la  boucle,  a  Tor  clarie, 
La  si  feru  del  fer  tren9ant, 
Que  Tescu  li  perce  devant. 
La  lance  fu  at  roide  at  fors  ; 
Et  il  Tenpaint  par  cal  esfors. 

(2663  ff.) 
Cf. 
Lances  orent  roidas  at  fors  ; 
Si  se  fierant  par  tals  esfors 
De  sor  les  boucles  des  escus,  .  , 
En  fist  cascuns  passer  le  fer. 

(5623  ff.;  cf.  5651-2.) 
Lances  orant  roides  et  fors ; 
Si  s'entrefierant  par  esfors. 

(2116-7.)^ 

Or  li  portds  moult  grant  honor. 
(2700.) 


23- 


[Las  lances]  s'an  furent  plus  roides 

at  forz. 
Sor  las  ascuz  par  tal  asforz 
S'antrafierent  des  fers  tranchanz 
Que  par  mi  les  escuz  luisanz 
Passe  de  chascune  una  toise. 

(5943  ff-) 
Cf. 
Que  li   escu  percent   (869)  ;    lance 
roide  et  fort  (3686). 
For  rhyme,  forz :  par  tel  esforz,  see 
also  5015-6. 


24. 


Si  li  portez  mout  grant  en  or. 
(472.) 


25. 


Les  armes  font  avant  porter 
Por  le  Desconndu  armar. 
A  bones  coroies  de  car 
Li  lacant  les  cauces  de  far ; 
Le  haubarc  li  ont  el  dos  mis, 
Le  hiaume  aprfes  el  cief  asis. 
Et  quant  il  I'orant  bien  arm^. 

(2765  ff.) 
Cf. 
II  vest  Tauberc,  Telme  la9a, 
Et  Helie  li  ^aint  Tespde. 

(1030-1.) 


Les  armes  quiert  et  Tan  li  bailie. 

Lace  li  les  chauces  da  far 

Et  queust  a  corroie  da  car. 

Haubarc  li  vast  de  buana  maille, 

Et  si  li  laca  la  vantailla. 

Le  hiaume  brun  li  met  al  chief: 

Mout  Tarma  bien  de  chief  an  chief. 

Au  costd  Faspee  li  v^int. 

(708-17.) 
Cf. 
La  pucele  mei'smes  Parme. 

(709) 


*  Much  stress  cannot  be  laid  on  agreements  in  descriptions  of  fights.  Cf. 
Raoul  de  Cambrai,  ed.  Meyer  and  Longnon  (^Soc.  des  Anciens  Texies  Frattfais), 
1882,  pp.  bcii  ff. 


68 


W.  II.   ScJiofield. 


26. 


Trestos  Ji  Diu  les  commanda, 

Et  il  i  recommandent  lui. 

Mais  moult  lor  torne  ^  grant  anui, 

Que  il  le  out  vcu  aler. 

Si  commenci^rent  k  plorer. 

Jamais  ne  Tcuident  rev^oir ; 

Or  le  gard  Dius  par  son  pooir! 

Lanpars  ploroit  et  la  pucele ; 

Robert  ciet  pasm^s  h.  la  terre. 

De  Tautre  part  plorait  li  nains, 

D'estrange  guise  grant  dol  fait ; 
Et  le  Desconneus  s'en  vait! 
(2816-28.) 


Sor  les  elmes,  sor  les  escus, 
Ont  grans  cols  et  pesans  ferus, 
De  nule  rien  ne  s'espargnoient. 
(2920  ff.) 

Moult  fu  la  damoisele  gente ;  .  .  . 
Onques  nus  hom  ne  vit  tant  bele. 
Le  front  ot  large  et  cler  le  vis, 
Et  blanc  come  est  la  flor  de  lis. 
(1519-24.) 
Cf. 

une  dame 
Tant  bele,  c'onques  nule  fame 
Ne  fu  de  sa  biautd  formde ; 
Tant  estoit  fresse  et  alosde, 
Tant  le  sot  bien  nature  ovrer, 
C'onques  si  bele  n'ot  el  mont, 
Pe  bouce,  d'iols,  de  vis,  de  front, 


*  Et  ce  que  je  vos  voi  plorer, 
Me  fet  grant  nial  et  grant  enui.' 
A  Deu  les  comande,  et  il  lui. 
Depart!  sont  a  mout  grant  painne. 
Erec  s'en  va. 

(2762  flf.) 
Que  ja  mes  reveoir  nes  cuident. 

(42930 
Cf. 
[Les  janz  replorent  d'autre  part.] 
Dames  et  chevalier  ploroient, 
Por  lui  mout  grant  duel  demenoient. 
N'i  a  un  seul  qui  duel  n'an  face. 
Maint  s'an  i  pasment  an  la  place. 

(2744  ff.) 
Cf. 
Enide  a  mout  grant  enui  torne. 

(5676.) 


27. 


Que  de  rien  ne  s'antrespargnierent. 
Si  granz  cos  sor  les  hiaumes  fierent. 
(3793-4-) 


28. 


Mout  estoit  la  pucele  jante, 
Car  tote  i  ot  mise  s'antante 
Nature  qui  feite  Tavoit. 

De  cesti  tesmoingne  Nature 
Qu'onques  si  bele  criature 
Ne  fu  veiie  an  tot  le  monde. 

Plus  ot,  que  n'est  la  flors  de  lis, 
Cler  et  blanc  le  front  et  le  vis, 
Sor  la  blanchor  par  grant  mervoille 
D'une  color  fresche  et  vermoille 
Que  Nature  li  ot  donee, 


De  sa  biaut^  est  grans  mervelle. 


Onques  Deus  ne  sot  feire  miauz 
Le  nes,  la  boche,  ne  les  iauz. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus. 


69 


Issi  I'avoit  nature  faite, 
Par  grant  estiide  I'ot  portraite. 
(3235-52.) 
and 
Mout  i  ot  gente  damoisMe  ; 
La  color  ot  fresse  et  noviele. 
(855-6.) 

li  miudres  chevaliers 
Li  plus  vaillans  et  li  plus  fiers 
De  la  mainie  Artur  le  roi. 
Nesun  millor  ne  sai  que  toi, 
Fors  que  tes  pere  Dans  Gauvains, 
Qui  est  de  totes  bontes  plains. 

(3330  ff-) 
Cf. 
Car  millor  ne  savons  el  mont. 
(3494-) 

De  robe  porpre  estoit  vestue, 
Onques  miudre  ne  fu  veue  ; 
Moult  estoit  riches  ses  mantials, 
II  sebelins  ot  as  tasials  ; 
La  pene  fu  et  bone  et  fine  ; 
Et  si  estoit  de  blance  ermine. 
Les  ataces  qui  furent  mises 
Furent  faites  de  niaintes  guises ; 

De  eel  drap  dont  li  mentials  fu, 
Fu  li  blials  qu'ele  ot  vestu  ; 
Moult  estoit  ciers  et  bien  ovrds ; 
D'une  ermine  fu  tos  forr^s. 
Plus  de  V  onces  d'or,  sans  faille, 
Avoit  en  tor  le  kieuetaille. 
As  puins  en  ot  plus  de  iiii  onces, 
Par  tot  avoit  ascs  jaconces, 
Et  autres  picrres  de  vertu, 
Qui  furent  deseur  Tor  batu. 

(3253-74-) 
Cf. 
La  pene  d'edres  fu  bendde, 
D'ermine  de  gris  geronde ; 


Que  diroie  de  sa  biaute? 

(4II-37-) 
Cf.   fresche  et  novele,  620,  1586, 
1607,  2153,  2198. 


29. 


30- 


11  est  chevaliers  si  buens 
Que  Tan  ne  puet  mellor  trover, 

Ne  cuit  que  soit  ses  parauz  nus. 

(6300-5.) 
Car  n'avoit  an  tote  sa  cort 
Mellor  chevalier  ne  plus  preu 
Fors  Gauvain  son  tres  chier  neveu ; 
A  celui  ne  se  prenoit  nus. 

(2286  iT.) 

Mout  fu  buens  li  mantiaus  et  fins : 
Au  col  avoit  deus  sebelins, 
Es  tassiaus  ot  d'or  plus  d'une  once ; 
D'une  part  ot  une  jagonce, 

La  pane  fu  de  blanc  ermine ; 
Onques  plus  bele  ne  plus  fine 
Ne  fu  veiie  ne  trovee. 
La  porpre  fu  mout  bien  ovree 
A  croisetes  totes  diverses, 

Les  ataches  li  sont  bailliees, 
Beles  et  bien  aparelliees. 

(1609-26.) 
Et  le  bliaut  qui  jusqu'as  manches 
Fu  forrez  d'erminetes  blanches. 
As  poinz  et  a  la  cheve9aille 
Avoit  sans  nule  devinaille 
Plus  de  demi  marc  d'or  batu ; 
Et  pierres  de  mout  grant  vertu. 

(1595  ft.) 
Cf. 
Que  vos  diroie  del  mantel? 


70 


]]'.  H.   Schoficld. 


Li  sebclins  moult  bons  estoit ; 
En  mil  pais  niillor  n'avoit. 

(1515  iT. ;  cf.  2225-6,2376-81.) 


L'uns  acole  Tautre  et  enbrace  ; 
N"i  a  celui  joie  ne  face. 

Quant  entreconjoi  se  furent, 
Por  Giglain  desarmer  corurent, 
Si  le  desarment  en  la  place 
Et  Robeis  son  elme  deslace. 
Quant  de  tot  fu  il  desarmds 
Si  Tont  rait  et  plai^  trov^. 

Et  quant  ses  plaies  ont  lavdes, 
Si  les  ont  tantost  rebend^es. 
Puis  le  mainent  en  une  cambre. 
(3400-18.) 

Giglains  en  la  cit^  sejorne ; 
Tot  fu  garis  en  la  quinzaine. 
(3643-4.) 


Dame,  ne  puet  estre  autrement. 
Je  m'en  vois  :  a  Diu  vos  commant. 
(3858-9-) 


Que  il  sont  el  castel  venu. 

Si  chevaliers,  ses  demoiseles, 
Dont  il  en  i  avoit  de  beles. 
(4015-9.) 


31- 


Mout  fu  riches  et  buens  et  biaus ; 
Quatre  pierres  ot  es  tassiaus. 
(6804  ff.) 

Li  rois  les  acole  et  salue, 
Et  la  reine  doucemant 
Les  beise  et  acole  aussimant ; 
N'i  a  nul  qui  joie  ne  face. 
Iluec  meismes  an  la  place 
Li  ont  ses  amies  desvestues  ; 
Et  quant  ses  plaies  ont  velies, 
Si  retorne  la  joie  an  ire. 

Quant  ses  plaies  orent  lavees, 
Ressuiiees  et  rebandees, 
Li  rois  lui  et  Enide  an  mainne 
An  la  soe  tante  demainne. 
(4208-32.) 


32. 


33- 


34- 


Demorer  quinze  jorz  toz  plains, 
Tant  qu'il  soit  toz  gariz  et  sains. 

(4235-6.) 
Cf. 
A  lui  garir  mistrent  tel  painne 
Les  puceles  qu'  eincpois  quinzainne 
Ne  santi  il  mal  ne  dolor. 

(5217  ff.) 

Sire,  ne  puet  estre  autremant. 
Je  m'an  vois ;  a  Deu  vos  comant. 

(2737-8.) 
Cf. 
Bien  voi  qu'aler  nos  i  estuet, 
Des  qu'autremant  estre  ne  puet. 

(5477-8.) 

Tant  qu'il  vindrent  a  un  chastel 

De  chevaliers  et  de  puceles ; 
Car  mout  an  i  avoit  de  beles. 
(345-50-) 


Studies  Oft  the  Libeaus  Descomis. 


n 


35- 


Laiens  moult  bon  ostel  avds. 

(4033-) 
La  nuit,  sont  a  I'ostel  venu ; 
Liement  ils  i  sont  receu. 
Li  ostes  moult  bel  les  refut. 

(4040  fF.) 

Une  robe  aporte  moult  bele, 
Partie  de  deus  dras  divers, 
De  sole,  d'un  osterin  pers, 

L'autre  d'ermine  bon  et  fin, 
Ki  estoit  d'un  rice  osterin ; 
Et  li  vairs  el  diaspe  estoit. 

(4144-53.) 
Paree  fu  de  dras  de  sole 
De  mult  cier  pris.     Que  vos  diroie 
Mais  moult  en  i  ot  de  divers, 
Bofus,  tois,  osterines,  pers. 

(4658  fF.) 

En  tot  le  mont  n''ot  sa  parelle, 
Tant  estoit  bele,  k  grant  mervelle. 

(4267-8.) 
Cf. 
Onques  nus  horn  n'ot  sa  parelle 

( :  mervelle.) 

(4790-1 .) 

Lk  faisoit  on  metre  les  tables, 
Car  il  estoit  tans  de  souper. 
(4378-9;  cf.  5937-42.) 


Car  buen  ostel  et  bel  avez. 

(3200.) 
Tost  furent  a  I'ostel  venu, 
A  joie  furent  receii, 
Li  ostes  mout  bel  les  refut. 

(3203  flf.) 

36. 

Ot  Guivrez  fet  deus  robes  feire, 
L'une  d'ermine  et  I'autre  veire, 
De  deus  dras  de  sole  divers. 
L'une  fu  d'un  osterin  pers, 
Et  I'autre  d'un  bofu  roiie, 

Enide  ot  la  robe  d'ermine 
Et  I'osterin,  qui  mout  chiers  fii, 
Erec  le  ver  et  le  bofu. 
?  (5225-34.) 


37- 


Qui  tant  par  est  bele  a  mervoille 
Qu'an  ne  puet  trover  sa  paroille? 
(535-6.) 


38. 


Fist  el  palds  metre  les  tables 
Et  fist  le  mangier  aprester ; 
Car  tans  estoit  ja  de  soper. 
(4774  ff. ;  cf.  4260-1.) 


39- 


Por  laver  font  I'iaugue  crier ; 
Si  se  sont  au  mangier  asis. 
Pain  et  vin  ont  h,  table  mis, 
De  tot  quanques  mcstier  lor  fu 
Ont  tot  k  lor  voloir  du. 


L'eve  lor  done  an  deus  bacins. 
Tables  et  napes,  pains  et  vins 
Tost  fu  aparelliez  et  mis. 
Si  se  sont  au  soper  assis. 
Trestot  quan  que  mestiers  lor  fu 


72 


W.  H.  Schoficld. 


Quant  mangi^  orent  h  loisir, 
A  grant  aise  et  ^  lor  plaisir, 
Se  sont  des  tables  levds  tuit. 
(43S0  ff.) 
Cf. 
Quant  mangit5  orent.  h  loisir. 
(2291  ;  also  938,  941.) 


Ont  a  lor  volantd  eii. 
Quant  a  lor  eise  orent  sopd 
Et  des  tables  furent  le  €. 

(495  ff-) 
Cf. 
Quant  orent  mangie  a  plaisir. 
(note  to  1.  6943  ;  cf.  3181.) 


40. 


'  Je  m'en  vais,  k  Diu  vos  commant.'  '  A  Deu,'  fet  il,  '■  vos  comant  gid.' 

Giglains  respont :  '  Dame,  et  je  vos ! '  Erec  respont :  '  Sire  et  je  vos.' 

Ensi  departirent  andos.  Einsi  departent  antr'aus  dos. 
(4418  ff.)  (3436  ff. ;  cf.  5868-9.) 


Ensi  le  destraint  et  justise. 

(4457-) 
Amors  le  destraint  et  justise. 
(4894.) 

Apr&s  s'est  ens  el  lit  coucies, 
Moult  fu  dolens  et  esmaids  ; 
Ne  puet  dormir,  ne  reposer, 
Viller  Testuet  et  retorner. 

Onques  la  nuit  n"a  pris  somel. 
(4425-36.) 

Tant  fu  bien  fait  et  tant  fu  bials, 
Qu'en  tot  le  mont,  ne  en  la  mer, 
Ja  nus  horn  ne  poroit  trover 
Poisson,  beste,  n'oisel  volant 
Ne  fust  ouvr^s  el  pavement. 
(4675  ff.) 


Et  Giglains  quant  il  fu  el  lit, 
Desor  ara  de  son  delit. 
Ensanble  li  amant  se  jurent. 


41. 


Einsi  se  justise  et  destraint. 
(3735-) 


42. 


Erec  an  Tun  couchier  se  vet ; 
An  Tautre  est  Enide  couchiee, 
Mout  dolante  et  mout  correciee ; 
Onques  la  nuit  ne  prist  somoil : 

Tote  la  nuit  vellier  I'estuet. 
(3442-55.) 


43- 


44. 


Par  veritd  dire  vos  os 

Qu'an  tot  le  monde  n'a  meniere 

De  peisson  ne  de  beste  fiere 

Ne  d'ome  ne  d'oisel  volage, 

Que  chascuns  lone  sa  propre  image 

N'i  fust  ovrez  et  antailliez. 

(6876  ff.) 
Cf. 
Ne  soz  ciel  n'a  oisel  volant. 

(57S5-) 

la  joie  et  le  delit 
Qui  fu  an  la  chanbre  et  el  lit. 
(2071-2.) 


Shidies  on  the  Libeaits  Descomis. 


73 


Quant  il  furent  ensenble  et  jurent, 
Molt  docement  andoi  s'enbracent ; 
Les  levres  des  bouces  s'enlacent ; 
Li  uns  k  I'autre  son  droit  rent ; 
Fors  de  baiser  n'orent  content ; 
Et  cascuns  en  voloit  plus  faire 
De  baiser  dont  son  cuer  esclaire. 
As  baisers  qu'il  firent  d'amors 
Del  cuer  se  traient  les  dolors. 
Et  si  les  aboivrent  de  joie. 
Amors  les  mainne  bone  voie, 
Les  oils  tornent  k  esgarder ; 
Les  bras  metent  "k  acoler, 
Le  cuers  s'atornent  al  voloir. 
L'uns  velt  de  Tautre  pr^s  manoir ; 
Por  Tamor  qu'entr'els  II  estoit 
Veut  Tuns  90  que  I'autres  voloit. 
Je  ne  sai  s'il  le  fist  s'amie, 
Car  n'i  fu  pas,  ne  Pen  vi  mie ; 
Mais  non  de  pucele  perdi 
La  dame  dales  son  ami. 
Cele  nuit  restord  se  sont 
De  quanques  il  demord  ont. 

(4704  fif.) 
Cf. 
II  avoit  joie  en  sa  baillie  ; 
Entre  ses  bras  avoit  sa  mie 
Que  il  souvent  acole  et  baise ; 
Moult  estoit  k  joie  et  k  aise. 

C4772  fif.) 
Giglains  se  couce  Ifes  sa  drue. 
Dal(!;s  li  se  jut  tote  nuit, 
Si  orent  moult  de  lor  deduit. 

(5294  fif.) 
Son  pis  sor  le  sien  retenoit 
Nu  h.  nu,  que  rien  ni  avoit. 

(2413-4-) 
Dalis  li  se  jut  tote  nuit, 
Si  orent  moult  de  lor  deduit. 

(5295-6.) 
La  nuit  jurent  h,  grant  deduit. 

(5943-) 


[Or  ot  sa  joie  et  son  deduit, 
Ansanble  gisent  par  la  nuit.] 

(5239-40.) 
La  ou  il  jurent  an  un  lit, 
Ou  orent  eii  maint  delit. 
Boche  a  boche  antre  braz  gisoient, 
Come  cil  qui  mout  s'antramoient. 

(2475  ff-) 
Lor  droit  randent  a  chascun  manbre. 
Li  oel  d'esgarder  se  refont, 
Cil  qui  d'amors  la  voie  font 
Et  lor  message  au  cuer  anvoient ; 
Que    mout    lor   plest   quan    que    il 

voient. 
Apr^s  le  message  des  iauz 
Vient    la    dou^ors,   qui    mout    vaut 

miauz, 
Des  beisiers  qui  amor  atraient. 
Andui  cele  dou^or  essaient, 
Et  lor  cuers  dedanz  an  aboivrent 
Si  qu'a  grant  painne  s'an  desoivrent ; 
De  beisier  fu  li  premiers  jeus. 
Et  Tamors,  qui  est  antr'aus  deus, 
Fist  la  pucele  plus  bardie 
De  rien  ne  s'est  acoardie ; 
Tot  sofri,  que  que  li  grevast. 
Eingois  qu'ele  se  relevast, 
Ot  perdu  le  non  de  pucele ; 
Au  matin  fu  dame  novele. 

(2090  ff.) 
Cele  nuit  ont  bien  restord 
Ce  que  il  ont  tant  demord. 

(2087-8.) 
Cf. 
Or  fu  acolee  et  beisiee, 
Or  fu  de  toz  biens  aeisiee, 
Or  ot  grant  joie  et  grant  delit ; 
Que  nu  a  nu  sont  an  un  lit 
Et  li  uns  I'autre  acole  et  beisc ; 
N'est  riens  nule  qui  tant  lor  pleise. 

(5245  ff. ;  cf.  1424.) 
De  li  fist  s'amie  et  sa  drue. 
Tot  mist  son  cuer  et  s'antandue 


74 


IV.  //.   Schofield. 


Quant  il  I'enprist  \  souvenir, 
De  rire  ne  se  puet  tenir. 
Quant  la  dame  en  rire  le  vit, 
Se  li  a  tot  maintenant  dit : 
•  Dites  le  moi,  fait  ele,  amis, 
Por  quel  cose  vos  av^s  ris. 
Ri  avds,  je  ne  sais  por  coi : 
Biaus  ciers  amis,  dites  le  moi. 
Moi  ne  I'dev^s  vos  celer  mie.' 
Cil  li  respont :  '  ma  douce  amie.' 
(4780  flf.) 


Et  quant  I'a  vdu  la  roine. 
Si  le  salue  et  si  Tencline. 
(5095-6.) 


De  s'amie  ot  tot  son  voloir 
Tot  90  que  il  voloit  avoir. 
(5235-6-) 


45- 


46. 


47- 


An  li  acoler  et  beisier. 

(2439  ff-) 
An  un  lit  certes  nu  a  nu. 

(3399-) 

Quant  il  I'an  prist  a  sovenir, 
De  plorer  ne  se  pot  tenir. 

(2483-4.) 
Que  si  formant  plorer  la  vit, 
Si  li  a  demandd  et  dit : 
'  Dites  moi,  bele  amie  chiere, 
Por  quoi  plorez  an  tel  meniere  ? 
De  quoi  avez  ire  ne  duel  ? 
Certes  je  le  savrai  mon  vuel. 
Dites  le  moi,  ma  douce  amie, 
Et  gardez,  nel  me  celez  mie.'^ 

(2513  ff. ;  cf.  also  2742,  3552.) 

La  u  Yders  vit  la  reine, 
Jusque  devant  ses  piez  Tancline, 
Saluee  I'a  tot  premiers. 
(1183  ff.) 

Or  ot  totes  ses  volantez. 
(5241.) 


Quant  Giglains  au  matin  s'esvelle, 
De  ce  qu'il  vit  ot  grant  mervelle. 
(5303-4-) 


49- 


Au  main  quant  Paube  fii  crevde, 
Li  saint  sonnent  au  grant  mostier ; 
Tuit  sont  levd  li  chevalier. 
Giglains  s'est  lev^s  et  s'amie ; 
Au  mostier  de  Sainte-Marie 


s'esvella 
Et  de  ce  mout  se  mervella 
Que  si  formant  plorer  la  vit. 
(25 1  Iff.) 

L'andemain  lues  que  I'aube  crieve 
Isnelemant  et  tost  se  lieve, 
Et  ses  ostes  ansanble  o  lui 
Au  mostier  vont  orer  andui 
Et  firent  de  Saint  Esperite 


1  The  only  real  difference  between  the  two  passages  lies  in  the  fact  that  Renaud 
makes  an  inquiry  after  the  cause  of  laughter,  instead  of  grief,  as  in  Erec. 


Studies  on  the  Libeans  Descomis. 


7S 


S'en  alerent  andoi  orer ; 
La  dame  fist  messe  canter. 
Quant  la  messe  cantde  fu 
Si  se  sont  el  palais  venu. 

(4932  ff.) 
Cf. 
Quant  li  saint  sonent  au  mostier, 
A  messe  vont  li  chevalier. 

(5945-6.) 


Messe  chanter  a  un  hermite  .  . 
Quant  il  orent  la  messe  oie,  .  . 
Si  s'an  repeirent  a  I'ostel. 
(697-706.) 
Cf. 
Ja  estoit  la  messe  sonee 
Si  s'an  vont  a  la  mestre  eglise 
Oir  la  messe  et  le  servise ; 
A  I'eveschie  s'an  vont  orer. 
(6888  ff.) 
and 
Quant  tote  la  messe  oi'e  orent, 
Si  sont  el  palds  retorn^. 
(6918-9;  cf.  2385-6.) 


SO. 


Quant  arm^  furent  li  baron 
En  la  plaingne  sous  Valedon, 
La  vdissi^s  tant  elme  cler 
Et  tante  ensaigne  venteler, 
Et  tans  destriers,  bauchant  et  bai, 
Plus  nombreus  que  dire  ne  sai, 
Et  tans  escu  reflanboier, 
Et  tante  guimple  desploier, 
Sor  elmes  tantes  connissances, 
Tant  blanc  hauber  et  tantes  lances, 
Paintes  k  or  et  k  ason, 
Fremir  tant  vermel  siglaton 
Et  tant  pingnon  et  tante  mance 
Et  ^ainte  tante  espce  blance, 
Et  tant  brocher  ceval  de  pris. 
(5498  ff.) 


SI- 


Onques  cele  de  Cornouaille 

Del  grant  Morholt,  ne  de  Tristant, 

Ne  fu  tels  bataille  v^ue. 
(3010-5.) 

Dorenavant  vos  veul  conter 
Briement,  sans  trop  longue  raison, 


Li  tornois  assanble  et  ajoste 
Desoz  Tenebroc  an  la  plaingne. 
La  ot  tante  vermoille  ansaingne  .  .  . 
Et  tante  guinple  et  tante  manche,  .  . 
Tant  i  ot  lances  aportees 
D'arjant  et  de  sinople  taintes : 
D'or  et  d'azur  an  i  ot  maintes  ; 

Tant  blazon  et  tant  hauberc  blanc, 
Tante  espee  a  senestre  flanc, 
Tanz  buens  escuz  fres  et  noviaus,  .  . 
Tant  buen  cheval  bau^ant  et  sor, 
Fauves  et  blans  et  noirs  et  bes. 

(2136-57.) 
Cf. 
Sor  chevaus  bes,  sors  et  bauganz. 

(2344-) 

Onques,  ce  cuit,  tel  joie  n'ot, 
La  ou  Tristanz  le  fier  Morhot 


(1247  ff.) 


vamqui. 


52. 


Mes  je  vos  an  dirai  la  some 
Bri(5mant  et  sanz  longue  parole 


76 


W.  H.  Schofield. 


Comment  de  Galles  li  baron 
Et  li  evesque  et  li  aW 
Et  tot  li  prince,  et  li  casd, 
Vinrent,  quant  sorent  la  novele 
Qu'estorse  fu  la  damoisele, 
Et  qu'ensi  est  cose  avenue. 
Puis  n'i  ot  nule  retenue, 
Que  tot  ne  venissent  k  cort, 
Por  la  grant  joie  qui  lor  sort. 
Tot  li  palais  vint  cele  part, 
Petis  et  grans,  moult  lor  est  tart, 
Qu'  il  aient  lor  dame  veue 
Moult  i  est  grans  lies  m^ue. 
Arcevesque,  dvesque  et  abd 
Et  tot  11  autre  clerc  letrd, 
S'est  venu  a  porcession. 
Et  canterent  a  moult  haut  ton ; 
Et  portent  crois  et  encensiers, 

A  casses,  k  tot  les  cors  sains. 
(3429-50.) 


Trestout  ensanble  k  la  rescousse 
Sor  lui  cascuns  sa  lance  estrousse. 
Cil  se  tient  bien  qu'il  ne  ca'i. 
(5537  ff-) 


Et  fiert  si  Keu  le  senescal, 
Qui  venus  estoit  asanbler, 
L'escu  li  fist  au  bras  hurter, 
Et  les  estriers  li  fist  laissier, 
Si  qu'envers  I'abat  del  destrier. 
(5574  ff-) 


53- 


Novele  par  le  pais  vole 
Qu'einsi  est  la  chose  avenue. 
Puis  n'i  ot  nule  retenue, 
Que  tuit  ne  venissent  a  cort. 
Trestoz  li  pueples  i  acort. 

(6174  ff.) 
Liez  est  li  rois  et  sa  janz  liee : 
N'i  a  un  seul  cui  mout  ne  siee 
Et  mout  ne  pleise  ceste  chose. 

(6165  ff.;  cf.  6364-71.) 
Maintenant  sent  avant  venu 
Tuit  li  prelat,  juene  et  chenu ; 
Car  a  la  cort  avoit  assez 
Venuz  evesques  et  abez. 

(6861  ff.) 
Ancontr'  aus  s'an  ist  tote  fors  .  .  . 
La  processions  del  mostier. 
Croiz  et  textes  et  ancansier 
Et  chasses  a  toz  les  cors  sainz, 

Ne  de  chanter  n'i  ot  po  fet. 
Onques  ansanble  ne  vit  nus 
Tant  rois,  tant  contes  ne  tant  dus 
Ne  tant  barons  a  une  messe. 
(6899-6909.) 
Cf. 

moi  fu  tart 
Que  9a  m'amenast  avuec  lui. 
(6284-5-) 

Quant  Erec  point  a  la  rescosse, 
Sor  un  des  lor  sa  lance  estrosse. 

(2241-2.) 
Mes  bien  se  tint  qu'il  ne  chei. 

(3825.) 


54- 


Keus  li  seneschaus. 

(1091.) 
Si  bien  le  fiert  que  il  abat 
Et  lui  et  le  destrier  tot  plat. 

(3035-6.) 
L'escu  giete  jus  et  la  lance, 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconus. 


77 


Celui  laisse  et  autre  i  abat 
A  terre  del  cheval  tot  plat. 
(5909-10.) 

Chevaliers  prent,  cevals  gaaigne. 
(57630 

A  vii^  chevaliers  mult  pros. 
Les  regnes  prendent  par  le  nos. 
(5869-70.) 

Vers  le  cief  dou  rent  a  vdu 
Erec,  un  moult  bon  chevalier, 
Sor  un  cheval  fort  et  legier. 
Por  joster  avoit  Tescu  pris, 
Et  la  lance  sor  fautre  mis. 
Giglains  encontre  lui  s'adrece, 
L'anste  brandist,  I'escu  enbrece, 
Des  esperons  au  cheval  donne ; 
Li  uns  envers  I'autre  esperonne. 
Moult  tr^s  durement  se  requierent ; 
Par  si  grant  vertu  s'entrefierent, 
Que  li  escu  percent  et  croissent, 
Et  les  lances  brisent  et  froissent. 
(5675  ff.) 
Cf. 
Lances  briser  et  escus  fendre. 
(5858.) 


Si  se  leisse  cheoir  a  terre. 
(3069-70.) 

55- 
Chevaliers  prant,  chevaus  gaaingne. 
(2228 ;  cf.  2222.) 

56. 

Qui  mout  estoit  vaillanz  et  preuz. 
Les  resnes  pranent  par  les  neuz. 
(2 1 93-4-) 
57- 

Erec  sist  sor  un  cheval  blanc, 
Toz  sens  s'an  vint  au  chief  del  ranc 
Por  joster,  se  il  trueve  a  cui. 
De  Tautre  part  ancontre  lui 
Point  li  Orguelleus  de  la  Lande 

Chevaliers  fu  de  grant  proesce. 
Li  uns  contre  Fautre  s'adresce. 

(2171-86.) 
Erec  I'escu  formant  anbrace. 

(2878.) 
Erec  cele  part  esperone, 
Des  esperons  au  cheval  done. 

(205-6.) 
As  fers  des  lances  se  requierent, 
Par  si  grant  vertu  s'antrefierent 
Que  li  escu  percent  et  croissent, 
Les  lances  esclicent  et  froissent. 

(867  ff.) 
Cf. 
Lances  brisent  et  escu  troent. 

(2163.) 


58. 


De  totes  parts  fremist  li  rans ; 
Moult  par  i  ert  la  noise  grans, 
Des  cols  et  des  lances  li  frois. 
(5897  ff.) 

Li  un  keurcnt  por  les  fors  prendre ; 
Li  autre  keurcnt  por  desfendre. 
(5891-2.) 


59- 


D'anbes  deus  parz  fremist  li  rans , 
An  I'estor  lieve  li  escrois, 
Des  lances  est  mout  granz  li  frois. 
(2160  ff.) 

Li  un  corent  por  Ics  foiz  prandre 
Et  li  autre  por  le  defandre. 
(2169-70.) 


7S 


W.  II.   Schofichl 


60. 


A  son  ceval  lasque  Ic  frain, 
Si  le  fiert,  si  de  grant  ravine, 
En  Tescu  deseur  la  potrine. 

Si  le  fiert  si,  sor  le  mamele, 
Ne  Tpot  tenir  potrails  ne  sele, 
Que  ne  Tabatist  del  destrier, 
Et  ne  le  fist  tost  trebucier. 
(5776-86.) 
Cf. 
Si  le  fiert  si  en  Tescu  haut, 
Qu'estriers  ne  sele  ne  li  vaut, 
Que  del  destrier  ne  I'abatist. 

(5849  ff.) 
Feru  Ta  par  si  grant  puissance, 
Droit  en  mi  le  pis,  de  la  lance, 
Que  nule  riens  ne  Tpot  tenir, 
Qu'k  terre  ne  I'fesist  venir. 

(5704  ff.) 

Aguissans  point,  baisse  sa  lance 
Et  fiert  Flore,  le  due  de  France, 
En  mi  le  pis,  par  tel  air, 
Que  del  destrier  le  fist  partir. 
(5871  ff.) 

Si  saillirent  atant  les  vespres. 
(5930-) 

Moult  bien  le  refaisoit  Giglains ; 
Maint  chevalier  prist  k  ses  mains. 

(591 1-2.) 
Bien  Tavait  fait  Giglains  devan 
Mais  or  le  fist  il  ass^s  mieus. 
Car  ainc  on  ne  vit  as  plus  pre 
Chevalier  qui  mius  le  fesist. 

(5954  ff.) 

Que  tuit  li  portent  garantie 
Qu'il  avoit  vencu  le  tornoi. 

(5926-7  ;  cf.  also  5966, 5972-3 


Et  sist  sor  un  cheval  d'Irlande, 
Qui  le  porte  de  grant  ravine. 
Sor  Tescu  devant  la  peitrine 
Le  fiert  Erec  de  tel  vertu 
Que  del  destrier  Ta  abatu. 

(2176  ff.) 
Si  bien  le  fiert  sor  la  memele 
Que  vuidier  li  covint  la  sele. 

(2243-4.) 
Cangle  ne  resnes  ne  peitraus 
Ne  porent  le  roi  retenir, 
Ne  I'estuisse  a  terre  \enir. 
Einsi  vola  jus  del  destrier, 
NH  guerpi  sele  ne  estrier. 

(2204  ff.) 
Cf. 
Andui  poingnent,  si  s'antrevienent, 
Les  lances  esloigniees  tienent ;  .  .  . 
Sor  I'escu  fiert  par  tel  air,  .  .  . 
Anmi  le  piz  le  fausse  et  ront,  .  .  . 
Et  cU  chei. 

(2861-73.) 


61. 


62. 


Les  vespres  salirent  a  tant. 
(2252.) 

Si  bien  le  fist  Erec  le  jor 
Que  li  miaudre  fu  de  I'estor ; 
Mes  mout  le  fist  miauz  Fandemain. 
Tant  prist  chevaliers  de  sa  main. 

(2253-6.) 
Car  n'avoit  an  tote  sa  cort 
Mellor  chevalier  ne  plus  preu. 

(2286-7.) 

63- 

Trestuit  d'anbes  deus  parz  disoient 
Qu"il  avoit  le  tornoi  veincu. 
.)  (2260-1.) 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descomis. 


79 


64. 


Quant  entre  conjoi  se  furent, 
For  aler  a  la  cort  se  murent 

A  son  ostel  trovent  Artus. 
Quant  il  les  vit,  si  lieve  sus, 
Giglan  com  vit,  va  le  baisier 
Et  de  ses  deus  bras  Tenbracier. 
Lors  v^issids  grant  joie  faire, 
Les  chevaliers  vers  Giglan  traire 
Et  saluer  et  conjoir.    . 
(5975-87-) 

Plus  bele  avoir  vos  ne  po^s  ; 
Et  si  est  de  moult  grant  parage ; 
Ne  por  biaute,  ne  por  lignage, 
Ne  le  deves  vos  laissier  mie, 

II  vit  la  dame  bele  et  sage. 
(6040-9.) 

Ne  fus  nus  hom  plus  bien  venus 
N'k  plus  grant  joie  rectus 
Com  Giglains  fu  en  cele  terre. 
(6089  flf.) 

Tant  ont  chevauci^  par  les  plains, 
Et  tant  ont  lor  cemin  tenu, 
Qu'il  sont  a  Valedon  venu. 
(5978  ff.) 
Cf. 
Or  cevaucent  plains  et  boscages, 
Et  landes,  et  vals,  et  rivages  ; 
Tant  ont  com  par  les  contrdes 
Et  tant  errd  par  lor  jorndes, 
Et  tant  lor  droite  vole  tinrent, 
Qu'al  castel  des  Puceles  vinrent. 

(5355  ff) 
Quatre  jorndes,  voire  plus, 
Avoit  chevauchd  la  roine. 

(4966-7.) 


Quant  bien  et  bel  atornd  furent, 
Por  aler  a  la  cort  s'esmurent. 
A  cort  vienent :  li  rois  les  voit 

Si  beise  Erec  et  puis  Guivret, 
Enide  au  col  ses  deus  braz  met, 
Si  la  rebeise  et  fet  grant  joie. 

Chascuns  del  conjoir  se  painne. 
(6457-70 ;  cf.  6454.) 


65. 


La  pucele  est  et  bele  et  sage, 
Et  si  est  mout  de  haut  parage. 

(1277-8.) 
Ne  por  biautt^  ne  por  lignage 
Ne  doi  je  pas  le  mariage 
De  la  pucele  refuser. 

(1565  ff.) 


66. 


Onques  nus  rois  an  son  reaume 
Ne  fu  plus  lieemant  veiiz, 
N'a  greignor  joie  receiiz. 


(2398  ff.) 


67. 


Le  bois  trespassent  et  la  plainne. 
Tote  la  droite  voie  tindrent 
Tant  que  a  Caradigan  vindrent. 

(1086  ff.) 
Cf. 
Tant  trespassent  puis  et  pandanz, 
Forez  et  plaingnes  et  rivieres 
Quatre  granz  jornees  plenieres 
Qu'a  Carnant  vindrent  au  quint  jor. 

(2312  ff.) 
and 
Tant  ont  errd  el  chevauchid 
Qu'il  vindrent  .  .  . 

(3667-8.) 


8o 


U:  11.  Schofidd. 


Et  chevauchierent  bos  et  plains. 

(246S.) 
Tant  ont  cevauchd  et  errd, 
Que  il  sent  h  Londres  venu. 

(6006-7.) 

Que  tant  com  la  hanste  11  dure, 
L'abati  k  la  terre  dure. 
(5553-4-) 


68. 


Erec  tant  con  hante  li  dure 
Le  trebuche  a  la  terre  dure. 
(2189-90.) 


69. 


Or  veul  je  votre  non  savoir. 

(1469.) 
*  Sire/  fait  il,  •  tot  vraiement 
Vos  en  dirai  la  verity. 
Jci  mos  ne  vos  en  ert  cele. 
Je  sui/  fait  il,  '  sire  des  Aies.' 

(ii9off.) 
Cf. 
Se  li  demanda  .  .  . 
Et  conment  a  non,  que  li  die 
Qui  est,  ne  dont  ne  li  coilt  mie. 

(870-4.) 
H^lin  a  non. 

(1195;  cf.  1472;  cf.  also  392: 
4742,  4788.) 


Mes  vostre  non  savoir  desir. 
*  Sire,'  fet  il,  '  vostre  pleisir. 
Quant  vos  mon  non  savoir  volez 
Ne  vos  doit  pas  estre  celez. 
Cadoc  de  Tabriol  ai  non.' 

(45 1  Iff.) 
Cf. 
*Mes  dites  moi,  nel  me  celez, 
Par  quel  non  estes  apelez?' 
Et  cil  respont :  '  Jel  te  dirai, 
Ja  mon  non  ne  te  celerai. 
Erec  ai  non.' 

(1055-61 ;   cf.  also  2699,  4075> 
4152,  5050,  6257.) 


Et  rivieres  et  praeries, 
Et  si  est  grans  gaagneries, 
D'autre  part  les  vignes  estoient. 
(1495  ff-;  cf.  3544-5-) 


70. 


De  forez  et  de  praeries, 
De  vingnes,  de  gaeigneries, 
De  rivieres  et  de  vergiers. 
(2319  ff.) 


71- 


II  ne  remaint  arme  el  castel, 
Li  villart  et  li  jovencel. 

(2086-7.) 
Trestot  s'en  vont,  petit  et  grant, 
Ni  a  remds  keu  ne  serjant. 

(2363-4.) 


An  tot  le  chastel  n'a  remds 
Home  ne  fame,  droit  ne  tort, 
Grant  ne  petit,  foible  ne  fort, 
Qui  aler  puisse,  qui  n'i  voise, 

(5698  ff)_ 
II  n'i  remaint  juenes  ne  viauz. 

(2688 ;  cf.  4870.) 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus. 


8i 


72. 


Qui  bien  soc  prendre  mon  consel, 
Et  k  la  lune  at  au  solel. 
(4851-2.) 


Et  portent  ostoirs  et  faucons 
Et  ostoirs  et  bons  espreviers. 

(3809-10.) 
Espreviers  portent  et  faucons, 
Ostoirs,  tercets,  esmerillons. 

(390^7.) 

Li  castels  fu  clos  de  fosses 
Grans  et  parfons,  et  loncs  et  Ids ; 
Sor  les  fossds  hals  mors  avoit, 
Dont  li  castels  tos  clos  estoit. 
(1499  ff- ;  cf-  2830  ff.) 

Ceste  ne  trove  sa  parelle, 

Tant  estoit  bele  k  grant  naervelle. 

Sa  biaute  tel  clarte  jeta. 

(2198  ff.) 
Une  escarboucle  sus  luissoit, 
Plus  que  solaus  resplendissoit, 
Et  par  nuit  rent  si  grant  clartd 
Com  se  ce  fust  en  tens  d'estd. 

(1897  ff.) 
Qui  jetoit  une  tel  clartd 
Com  I  cierge  bien  enbras^. 
Tot  le  palais  enluminoit, 
Une  si  grant  clartd  jetoit. 
Hom  ne  vit  onques  sa  parelle. 

(3103  ff-) 


Qui  as  estoiles  se  consoille 
Et  a  la  lune  et  au  soloil. 
An  autre  leu  ne  prant  consoil. 
(6782  ff.) 


73- 


Espreviers  et  faucons  de  mues 
Et  li  autre  aportoient  fors 
Terciaus,  ostors  muez  et  fors. 
(352  ff. ;  cf.  also  5362-3.) 


74- 


une  haute  tor, 
Qui  close  estoit  de  mur  an  tor 
Et  de  fosse  le  et  parfont. 
(3671  ff.) 


75- 


Auoit  une  escharbocle  dor 
Assises  furent  par  meruoille 
Nus  ne  uit  onques  sa  paroille 
Chascune  tel  clarte  gitoit 
De  nuiz  con  se  il  iorz  estoit 
Au  matin  grant  li  solauz  luist 
Si  grant  clarte  randoit  par  nuit. 
(p.  88,  11.  16  ff.) 
Cf. 
D'escharboncles  anluminees ;  .  .  . 
Nule  riens  n'est  clartez  de  lune 
A  la  clartd  que  toz  li  mandre 
Des  escharboncles  pooit  randre. 
Por  la  clartd  qu'eles  randoient, 
Tuit  cil  qui  el  palds  estoient  .  .  . 
(6842-8  ;  cf.  429-34,  6844-5.) 


76. 
Tant  estoit  biaus  h,  demesure  Et  fu  tant  biaus  qu'an  nule  tcrre 

Qu'en  tot  le  mont,  tant  com  il  dure,     N'estovoit  plus  bel  de  lui  qucrre. 
Ne  trovast  on  un  chevalier  Mout  estoit  biaus  et  preuz  ct  janz. 

Ne  qui  tant  fesist  Ji  proisier :  (87  ff.) 


82 


U:  II.  Schofield. 


Sages  et  pros  et  coilois  fu. 
(4301  ff.) 
Cf. 
Moult  estoit  bials  .\  demesure. 
(3S92  ;  cf.  3649.) 

Haumes  lacitfs,  haubers  vestus. 
(5371) 

les  cevals  poingnent, 
Et  por  joster  si  s'entreloingnent, 

Si  s'entrevont  entreferir, 
Que  les  escus  se  font  croissir, 

Andui  s'abatent  des  cevals. 
Ne  furent  navr^  ne  blecid ; 
Isnelement  sont  redreci^, 

.  .  .  tron(;:ons  des  espies, 
S'entre  donnent  moult  grans  col^es. 
En  tos  sanblans  bien  se  requierent, 
Sor  les  elmes  sovent  se  fierent. 

(1743-60.) 
Cf. 

si  s'eslongent, 
Por  tost  aler  lor  cevals  poingent. 
Molt  aloient  tost  li  ceval. 
Si  s'entrefierent  li  vasal 
Des  lances  grans  cols  h.  devise. 

(2618  ff.) 
Sor  les  escus  haut  se  requierent 
De  lances  tels  cols  sentrefierent, 
Que  des  cevals  s'entr'abatirent. 

(2915  fif.) 
U  ne  fu  navres  ne  bleci^s. 
Isnelement  est  redrecies. 

(2670-1.) 

Lors  s'entrevinrent  fierement, 
Sor  les  escus  se  vont  ferir, 


n- 


78. 


Cf. 

Car  mout  es  biaus  a  desmesure. 

(5520;  cf.  1484.) 
Mout  est  preuz  et  sage  et  cortoise. 

(3642.) 

Hiaumes  laciez,  haubers  vestuz. 
(4965.) 

Cil  plus  d'un  arpant  s'antresloi- 

ngnent, 
Por  assanbler  les  clievaus  poingnent, 
As  fers  des  lances  se  requierent, 
Par  si  grant  vertu  s'antrefierent 
Que  li  escu  percent  et  croissent, 

Contre  terre  anbedui  se  ruient, 
Li  cheval  par  le  chanp  s'an  fuient. 
Cil  resont  tost  an  piez  sailli, 

Des   tranchanz    granz    cos    s^antre- 

donent, 
Li  hiaume  quassent  et  resonent, 
Fiers  est  li  chaples  des  espees : 
Mout  s'antredonent  granz  colees. 

(865  ff.) 
Cf. 
Ne  furent  pas  navre  a  mort, 
Mes  duremant  furent  blecid. 
Isnelemant  sont  redrecid. 

(3784  ff-) 


79- 


Andui  poingnent,  si  s'antrevienent, 
Sor  Tescu  fiert  par  tel  air, 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descomis. 


^l 


Le  Biaus  Desconndus  fiert  lui ; 
L'escu  perce,  I'auberc  desront, 
Dedens  le  cors  le  fer  repont. 
Mort  le  trebuce  del  ceval. 
(1082-97.) 
Cf. 
Et  cil  r'a  si  tr^s-bien  feru 
Helin  de  Graies,  par  vertu, 
De  sa  lance,  ens  el  pis  devant 
L'auberc  li  ront  et  vait  faussant ; 


De  I'un  chief  an  Pautre  le  fant ; 
Ne  li  haubers  ne  le  defant : 
Anmi  le  piz  le  fausse  et  ront, 
Et  de  la  lance  li  repont 
Pi^  et  demi  dedanz  le  cors. 
Au  retreire  a  son  cop  estors, 
Et  cil  clie'i.     Morir  I'estut. 
(2861-73.) 


Del  bon  ceval  le  fist  cair. 
(1 109-14.) 

Devant  le  roi  en  vint  tot  dreit  .  .  . 
Le  roi  salua  maintenant, 
Et  puis  les  autres  ensement. 

(75-8.) 
Cf. 
Li  un  les  autres  saluerent. 

(5098  ;  cf.  also  3276,  35 1 1,  3854, 
4162,  4167,  etc.) 

Ne  porions  vile  trover, 
Ne  maison,  en  ceste  contrde, 
Environ  nos,  d'une  jornde. 
(596  ff.) 

Robers  i  vint  isnelement, 
Ki  le  desarma  en  la  place  ; 
L'elme  fors  de  cief  li  esrace. 
Puis  li  a  desceinte  Tespde, 
Quant  ot  la  teste  desarm^e, 
L'auberc  li  traist,  de  blance  maille, 
Quant  deslacid  ot  la  ventaille. 
(804  ff.) 


80. 


81. 


82. 


83. 


Qu'il  li  pardoinst  b,  ceste  fois. 
(839-) 


Jusque  devant  le  roi  s'an  vindrent, 
Si  le  saluent  maintenant, 
Et  la  reine  einsemant. 
(6596  ff.) 
Cf. 
Li  un  les  autres  saluerent. 

(2354;  cf.  also  5533,  5548, 6231, 
6373>  etc.) 

une  jornee  tot  an  tor 
N'avoit  chastel,  vile  ne  tor, 
Ne  meison  .  .  . 
(3137  ff-) 

Li  escuiiers  Erec  desconbre 
De  son  hiaume,  si  li  deslace 
La  vantaille  devant  la  face. 

(3170  ff.) 
Hauberc  li  vest  de  buene  maille, 
Et  si  li  lace  la  vantaille. 
Le  hiaume  brun  li  met  el  chief .  .  . 
Au  costd  I'espee  li  9aint.^ 

(713-17-) 

Ceste  foiz  vos  iert  pardonee. 
(2854.) 


^  Positive  statement  (arming)  instead  of  negative  (disarming). 


84 


IV.  II.  Schofidd. 


84. 


Seur  destriers  sors,  bais  et  bau9ans, 
O  V"*  chevaliers  urmJs. 

(5455-6.) 
Cf. 
Et  avoit  en  sa  conpaignie 
%*«  chevaliers  de  maisnie. 

(5446-7.) 


Quant  venus  fu  tos  li  barn^s, 
Qui  k  la  cort  fu  asamblds, 
Grans  fu  la  cors  qui  fu  mand^e, 
Quant  i  fii  la  cors  asambMe. 
La  veisies  grant  joie  faire, 
As  jogleors  vieles  traire, 
Harpes  soner  et  estriver, 
As  canteors  can9ons  canter. 
(17  ff.) 


Chevaliers  i  ot  bien  cine  <panz 
Sor  chevaus  bes,  sors  et  bau^anz. 
(2343-4.) 


85. 


Furent  assanbid  li  baron. 

(6365.) 
Granz  fu  Tassanblee  et  la  presse. 

(6369.) 
Einsi  jusqu'a  la  cort  Tan  mainnent 
Et  de  joie  feire  se  painnent 
Si  con  li  cuer  les  an  semonent. 
Rotes,  harpes,  vieles  sonent. 

(6379  ff-) 


86. 


Ainc  Elaine  .  .  . 

N'Isex  la  blonde,  ne  Bliblis, 

Ne  Lavine  de  Lombardie, 

N'orent  pas  de  biautd  la  disme. 

(4258-64.) 
Onques  n'ot  de  biaute  le  quart 
Nule  dame  qui  dont  fust  nde. 

(5084-5  ;  cf.  other  references  to 
Yseut  (4336),  and  Yseuls  la 
bele  (5492)-) 


Les  escrins  carcent  as  somiers, 
Et  rices  cofres,  rices  males, 
Moult  jetent  grant  avoir  de  Gales, 
Hanas,  copes  d'or  et  d'argent, 
Et  moult  rice  autre  garnement. 
(381  Iff.) 


Plus  bele  que  ne  fu  Helainne. 

(6344.) 
Onques  Lavine  de  Laurante, 
Qui  tant  par  fu  et  bele  et  jante, 
N'ot  mie  de  biautd  le  quart. 

(589T  ff.) 
Iseuz  la  blonde. 

(424.) 
Cf. 

une  dame  si  bele 
Qui  Iseuz  sanblast  estre  s'ancele. 

(4943-4.) 


87. 


Les  somiers  que  il  lor  menoient, 
L'or  et  Tarjant  et  les  besanz 
Et  toz  les  autres  garnemanz 
Qui  estoient  dedanz  les  males, 
An  son  reaume  d'Outre-Gales. 
(1870  ff.) 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descomis. 


85 


Si  bele  riens  ne  fu  velie. 

Si  I'avait  bien  nature  ouvrde, 
Et  tel  biaute  li  ot  donn^e, 
Que  plus  bel  vis,  ne  plus  bel  front, 
N'avoit  feme  qui  fust  el  mont. 
Plus  estoit  blance  d'une  flor 
Et  d'une  vermelle  color 
Estoit  sa  face  enluminee. 
(2198-2212.) 
Cf. 
Mains  ot  blances  com  flors  de  lis. 
(2219.) 


De  cesti  tesmoingne  Nature 
Qu'onques  si  bele  criature 
Ne  fu  velie  an  tot  le  monde. 

Plus  ot,  que  n'est  la  flors  de  lis, 
Cler  et  blanc  le  front  et  le  vis. 
Sor  la  blanchor  par  grant  mervoille 
D'une  color  fresche  et  vermoille, 
Que  Nature  li  ot  donee, 
Estoit  sa  face  anluminee. 

(421-32  1;  cf.  2414-15.) 


Ja  nus  horn  ne  demant  plus  biele, 
Se  ale  n'eiist  tel  paor. 
(702-3.) 


Et  s'il  ne  fust  granz  a  enui, 
Soz  ciel  n'eiist  plus  bel  de  lui. 
(5901-2.) 


The  foUovi^ing  parallels  are  given,  not  because  it  is  supposed  they 
have  any  significance  in  themselves,  but  merely  for  completeness. 
They  are  therefore  numbered  separately. 


Qui  moult  legiers  et  fors  estoit. 
De  relever  moult  s'esforyoit. 

(1434-5  ■) 
(The   next   lines   rhyme   relever ; 
grever.) 


Ne  se  santent  de  rien  grevd, 
Isnelemant  sont  releve ; 
Car  fort  estoient  et  legier. 
(5959  ff-) 


Esloignent  plus  d'un  arpent. 
(2088.) 


Cil  plus  d'un  arpent  s'antresloi- 
ngnent. 
(865  ;  cf.  4040.) 


Car  Dius  nos  puet  moult  bien  aider. 

(2532.) 
Dius  nos  en  puet  moult  bien  aidier. 

(2653  ;  cf.  310.) 


Mes  Deus  li  povra  bien  eidier. 
(3428;    cf.  663,  3567,  5525, 
S935-) 


1  Part  of  this  passage  is  cited  before  (p.  68). 


S6 


W.  H.  Schoficld. 


Si  s'entreviennent  anbedui. 
(5622.) 


Si  s'antrevienent  anbedui. 
(3012,  5952.) 


Iluec  ot  mainte  joste  faite, 
Maint  cop  fcru  d'espde  traite. 
(5668-9.) 


Mes  Erec  tint  Tespee  treite, 
Une  anvaie  li  a  feite. 

(4465-6.) 
I'espee  treite :  feite. 

(3855-6.) 


'Ales,  dist  il,  mi  escuier, 
Amends  moi  mon  bon  destrier 
Et  mes  armes  ;  si  m'armerai, 
Gardes  que  n'i  faites  delai.' 
Cil  les  vont  querre  isnelement, 
Les  aportent  hastivement. 
(1367  ff.) 


Ses  clievaus  comande  anseler 
Et  fet  ses  armes  aporter. 
Vaslet  corent,  si  li  aportent. 
(4281  fr.) 


Cele  respont :  '  Dol  doi  avoir : 
Ne  je  jamais  joie  n'aurai. 

de  dol  morrai ; 
Li  cuers  me  crieve  de  dolor. 
Lasse!  comment  vivrai  mais  jor?' 
(1550-58.) 


An  sospirant  li  dist :  '  Biaus  sire, 
N'est  mervoille  se  je  faz  duel ; 
Que  morte  seroie  mon  vuel. 
Je  n'aim  ma  vie  ne  ne  pris.' 
(4338  ff.) 


Puis  li  demande  qu'ele  a  fait. 
(2688.) 


Si  li  demande  qu'ele  fet. 
(4172.) 


Moult  est  bons  et  ciers  ses  cevals,        Cheval  ot  buen  et  bien  movant. 

(2960.) 

N'ainc  hom  ne  vit  si  bien  movant. 
(2967-71.) 


10. 


Gauvains  les  lui  sdoir  le  fist. 

(102.) 
Dal^s  lui  I'a  sor  Terbe  asise. 

(869.) 


Et  delez  lui  a  destre  assise.  ' 

(1762.) 
Li  rois  les  fet  lez  lui  seoir. 

(6462;  cf.  also  1305,  3313,  6834.) 


Studies  071  the  Libeaiis  Descomts. 


^7 


II. 


Li  vis,  qu'il  ot  bien  fait  et  cler, 
Li  devint  moult  pales  et  tains : 
Moult  estoit  febles  et  atains. 

(3995  ff-) 
Cf. 
Qui  moult  estoit  pales  et  vains. 

(3563-) 
Tos  en  devint  pales  et  vains. 

(365 1.) 
Car  il  le  vit  et  pale  et  taint. 

(4131-) 


Par  le  frain  son  roncin  tenoit. 


Le  cors  bien  fet  et  le  vis  cler. 

(2492.) 
Toz  li  devint  pales  et  blans 
Li  vis  con  se  ele  fust  morte. 

(3720-1.) 
Car  mout  estoit  et  pale  et  tainte: 

atainte. 

(5243-4.) 
Cf. 
je  le  vi  si  pale  et  taint. 

(4183.) 


12. 


Einz  tint  par  les  frains  an  sa  main 
Les  chevaus.     (3 10 1-2.) 


13- 


Et  fiert  Mordret  sor  I'elme  cler, 
Si  que  tot  le  fist  estonner. 
(5637-8.) 


Apres  vos  a  la  cort  irai, 
Si  tost  comme  je  le  porrai, 
Le  roi  Artur.     Me  salues 
Et  vostre  congid  me  donds. 
(3852  ff.) 

Adont  s'asisent  au  soper. 
Moult  sont  bien  servi  k  devise 
Et  si  ont  mes  de  mainte  guise. 
(271 1  ff.) 

Esprevier  bien  mud  et  beL 

Sor  I  perce  tote  d'or. 
(1569-72.) 


Tel  cop  a  delivre  li  done 
Sor  le  hiaume,  que  tot  Testone. 
(973-4-) 


14. 


Si  je  m'an  vois,  je  revandrai 
Quant  Deu  pleira  et  je  porrai. 
Toz  et  totes  vos  comant  gid 
A  Deu,  si  me  donez  congid. 
(2757  ff.) 


15- 


Si  se  sont  au  soper  assis. 

(498.) 
De  mes  divers  sont  tuit  servi. 

(6939-) 


16. 


cist  oisiaus 
Qui  tant  par  est  muez  et  biaus. 

(807-8.) 
lert  sor  une  perche  d'arjant 
Uns  espreviers  mout  biaus  assis. 

(56(^7.) 


88 


IV.  H.  Schofiehi. 
17- 


Quant  Lanpars  Tot,  grant  joie  en  a. 
Vers  lui  maintenant  s"en  ala 
Maintenant  le  va  acoler. 
(2702  ff.) 


Ses  escus  en  argent  estoit. 
Roses  vermelles  i  avoit 
De  sinople  les  roses  sont. 
(1696  ff.) 


Del  vendor  a  la  foi  prise. 
Une  autre  cose  li  devise. 
(1465-6.) 


Erec  i  estoit,  li  fius  Lac ; 
Com  sH  fu  Lasselos  dou  Lac. 
(39-40-) 


Gauvains  Tot,  acoler  le  va. 

De  joie  Tacole  et  anbrace. 
(415S-8.) 

18. 

Tanz  buens  escuz  .  .  . 
D'arjant  et  de  sinople  biaus. 
(2 1 53-4-) 


19. 


Lors  an  a  Erec  la  foi  prise. 
Tuit  sont  venu  a  la  devise. 
(1069-70.) 


20. 


Li  seconz  Erec  li  fiz  Lac, 
Et  li  tierz  Lanceloz  del  Lac. 
(1693-4) 


Come  rose  ot  vis  color^, 
Le  iouls  ot  vairs,  bouce  riant, 
Les  mains  blances,  cors  avenant ; 
Bel  cief  avoit,  si  estoit  blonde. 
(148  ff.) 


En  son  cief  ot  un  cercle  d'or. 
(HS) 


Son  escu  a  pris  et  sa  lance. 

(681.) 

Son  escu  prent, 
Et  apr^s,  sa  lance  ensement. 

(387-8.) 
Son  escu  prist  isnelement; 
Et  puis  apres  reprist  sa  lance. 

(1396-7) 


Mout  remire  son  chief  le  blont, 
Ses  iauz  rianz  et  son  cler  front, 
Le  nes  et  la  face  et  la  boche. 
(1491  ff) 


22. 


Un  hiaume  a  cercle  d'or  listd. 
(2658.) 


23- 


Son  escu  a  pris  et  sa  lance. 

(4302.) 
La  lance  et  Tescu  prist  aprds. 

(3963  ;  cf.  2857,  3593,  4744.) 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconus. 


89 


Tot  maintenant  i  fait  aler 
III  des  moult  haus,  k  lui  parler. 
(3502-3.) 


24. 


Maintenant  murent  li  message ; 
Li  baron,  qui  I'alerent  querre, 
Li  plus  haut  liome  de  sa  terre. 
(6514  ff.) 


25. 


Quant  la  dame  el  palais  entra. 

(5093-) 
Cf. 

Si  se  sont  el  palais  venu. 
(4940.) 


Quant  eles  vindrent  el  pal^s. 

(6831.) 
Cf. 
Si  vienent  el  pales. 

(S3";  cf.  5559,6811,  6826.) 


Qui  ne  fust  k  fin  or  portraite. 
Moult  estoit  la  roube  bien  faite. 
(5061-2,) 


26. 


Ceste  oevre  fu  el  drap  portreite, 
De  quoi  la  robe  Erec  fu  feite. 
(6791-2.) 


27. 


Se  tu  ne  V  fais,  k  ceste  esp^e 
Auras  jk  la  teste  cop^e. 

(1 173-4.) 
Cf. 
Jk  li  eust  la  teste  copde. 

Moult  doucement  merci  li  crie. 
(1446-50;  cf.  1 168.) 


Cil  des  Aies  prison  fiance 
Qu'il  en  ira,  sans  demorance, 
Droit  k  la  cort  Artu  le  roi. 

("75  ff.) 
Cf. 
Et  si  fiancerds  prison, 
Que  vos  ir^s,  sans  oquison, 
Ens  en  la  cort  Artu  le  roi. 
(1783  ff.;  cf.  477-9.) 


La  teste  li  elist  coupee 
Se  il  n'eiist  merci  criee. 
(991-2.) 


28. 


Done  alez  tost  sanz  demorer 
A  mon  seignor,  le  roi  Artu. 

(4526-7.) 
Cf. 
Fiancier  fan  estuet  prison, 
Et  sanz  nul  respit  or  androit 
Iras  a  ma  dame  tot  droit. 

(1028  ff.) 
Sanz  achoison. 

(3472.) 


90 


W.  H.  Schoficld. 


Au  secors  faire  veul  aler. 

C2o8.) 
Secors.  qu'ele  en  a  grant  mestier. 

(175) 
Ce  sanble  mestier  ait  d'aie. 

(62S,  645.) 
Or  ni"a  vostre  secors  mestier. 

(552.) 


Moult  le  faisoit  bien  en  Testor 
(:lejor). 

(555I-2-) 
Cf. 
Si  bien  le  fait. 
(5646.) 

Lk  ot  vuid^e  mainte  sele 
Et  maint  chevalier  abatu. 
(5558^.) 

Sonnent  flahutes  et  buissines. 
(5883.) 


Giglains  qui  fiert  le  Sagremor 

Qu'il  I'abati. 
(5905-8.) 

Le  rois  lor  dist :  •  .  . 
*  Biaus  nids,'  fait-il. 
(6022-4.) 


Cele  part  vuel  aler  le  cors, 
Si  savrai  quel  besoing  ele  a. 

(4320-1.) 
[Ele  a]  mestier  d'aie  et  de  secors. 

(4319-) 
Et  de  secors  mestier  avoit. 

(4314-) 
Cf. 

Mestier  d'aie,  3909 ;  secors  mestier, 
3913  ;  grant  mestier,  3932. 


30- 


Si  bien  le  fist  Erec  le  jor 
Que  li  miaudre  fu  de  Testor. 
(2253-4.) 


31- 


Tant  prist  chevaliers  de  sa  main 
Et  tant  i  fist  seles  vuidier. 
(2256-7.) 


32- 


Sonent  timbre,  sonent  tabor, 

Et  buisines  et  chalemel. 

(2052-4.) 
Cf. 
Cil  flaiite,  cil  chalemele. 

(2046.) 


33- 


La  fu  abatuz  Sagremors. 
(2238.) 


34. 


•  Biaus  nids  Gauvains,'  ce  dist  li  rois. 
(4077O 


Studies  on  the  Libeatis  Desconus. 


91 


35- 


Cele  nuit  a  grant  joie  fUrent 
A  Londres  la  cite. 
(6063-4.) 


Si  com  raconte  li  istore. 

(6l02.) 


Guerpir  lor  estuet  les  cevals, 
A  la  terre  caient  andui. 

(1427-8.) 
Cf. 
Les  ar9ons  li  a  fait  guerpir ; 
Li  estrier  ne  1'  porent  tenir. 

(439-40.) 


A  grant  joie  .  .  . 
Vindrent  a  Nantes  la  cite. 
(6582-4.) 


36. 


si  con  Pestoire  reconte. 

(359°-) 
Cf. 
Lisant  trovomes  an  I'estoire. 
(6736 ;  cf.  6742.) 


37- 


Guerpir  lor  estuet  les  estriers, 
Contre  terre  anbedui  se  ruient. 

(872-3.) 
Cf. 
Le  cheval  guerpir  li  estuet. 

(3066.) 
Que  les  estriers  eiist  guerpiz. 

(3604.) 


38. 


En  lor  mains  tiennent  les  espies, 
Dont  il  se  donnent  grans  colees. 

(451-2.) 
Cf. 
S'entre  donnent  moult  grans  coldes. 

(1758.) 
Lk  ot  feru  de  grans  colees 
De  roides  lances  et  d'espdes. 
Moult  par  estoit  li  caples  grans. 

(5651  ff.) 
Cf.    also    465-6,    1409-10     5902, 

5720-1,    5860;     for    fier    caple 

font,  see  1417;  cf.  5653,  5614, 

5754,  5895- 


Fiers  est  li  chaples  des  espees  : 
Mout  s'antredonent  granz  colees. 
(881-2.) 


39- 


Et  vint  tot  droit  k  son  seignor, 
Et  cil  maintenant  I'esvilla. 
(967-71.) 


A  son  seignor  vint,  si  I'esvoille. 
(3468.) 


93 


IF.  H.  SchofichL 


40. 


Quant  li  rois  entent  la  parole, 
Moult  en  fu  li^s  ;  la  dame  acole. 
(5'37-S.) 


Au  Desconn^u  font  le  lit. 
Onques  nus  home  plus  bel  vit. 
De  kuites  pointes  et  moles 
Que  feroie  longes  paroles? 
(2343  ff-) 


N'avoit  vestu  fors  sa  cemise, 

Moult  estoit  la  cemise  blanche. 
Mais  encor  est  la  cars  moult  plus, 
Que  la  cemise  de  desus! 
(2383-8.) 


Li  doi  vallet  Ten  ont  mend 
En  sa  loge,  I'ont  desarmd, 
Puis  Tont  couci^  en  un  biel  lit. 
Mais  moult  i  ot  poi  de  d^lit. 
Blioblieris  est  plaids. 
(513  ff-) 


moult  li  escrie : 
Que  por  Diu  laist  que  ne  Tocie. 
(469-70.) 


Li  rois  de  joie  saut  an  piez. 
'Certes,'  fet  il,  '  mout  an  sui  liez.' 

(4197-8.) 
Li  rois  les  acole  et  salue. 

(4208.) 


41. 


Li  lit  furent  aparellid 
De  blans  dras  et  de  coutes  moles. 
A  tant  faillirent  les  paroles. 
(692  ff. ;  cf.  3275.) 


42. 


sa  fille  qui  fu  vestue 
D'une  chemise  .  .  . 
Un  blanc  chainse  ot  vestu  dessus ; 
N'avoit  robe  ne  mains  ne  plus. 

Mes  dessoz  estoit  biaus  li  cors. 
(402-10.) 


43- 


Son  seignor  desarme  et  desvest, 
Fist  un  lit  feire,  haut  et  lone ;  .  . 
S'ont  Erec  couchie  et  covert. 

Car  bleciez  estes  et  plaiiez. 

(5132-51.) 
Cf. 
Vaslet  corurent  plus  de  vint 
Por  lui  desarmer. 

(1298-9.) 


44. 


et  cil  li  prie 
Por  Deu  merci  qu'il  ne  I'ocie. 
(3840-1.) 
Cf. 
Merci!     Ne  m'ocirre  tu  pas. 
(994-) 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconiis. 


93 


45- 


Et  blances  napes  et  hanas,  .  .  . 
De  bon  vin  ont  trovd  asds. 

(891-4.) 
Les  napes  ont  sor  I'erbe  mises. 

(921.) 


Buen  vin  ai  et  fromages  gras, 
Blanche  toaille  et  biaus  henas. 

(3153-4-) 
Puis  a  devant  aus  estandue 
La  toaille  sor  Perbe  drue. 

(3173-4-) 


A  number  of  parallels  will  now  be  given  to  show  that  the  two 
poems  have  the  same  stock  of  phrases  in  common. 


Chevaliers,  borjois  et  sergant; 
Dames  et  puceles. 

(1645-6.)  _ 
Les  dames  et  li  chevalier, 
Et  li  clerc  et  li  escuier. 

(2086-7.) 
Dames,  chevaliers,  ne  puceles. 

(3904-) 
Li  due,  li  prince  et  li  baron. 

(3527-) 
Contes  et  dus,  princes  cases. 

(3975-) 
As  dus,  as  contes,  as  marcis. 

(4942.) 
Maint  roi,  et  maint  due  et  maint 

conte. 

(5091.) 
De  dues,  de  contes  et  de  rois. 

(5592  ;  cf.  also  5512.) 


Dames,  chevalier  et  borjois. 

(4741-) 
Chevalier,  dames  et  puceles. 

(554I-) 
Dames  et  chevaliers. 

(2745-) 
Clers  et  chevaliers  et  puceles. 

(2334-) 
De  chevaliers  et  de  borjois. 

(2389.) 
De  chevaliers  et  de  serjanz. 

(2464.) 

Ou  roi  ou  due  ou  conte. 

(6933-) 
Assez  i  ot  contes  et  dus. 

(1963-) 
Tant  rois,  tant  contes  ne  tant  dus 
Ne  tant  barons. 

(6908-9;    cf.    also   2653,  2722, 
4958,  5096,  6949.) 


Sa  lance  a  el  fautre  mise. 

(357-) 
Et  la  lance  sor  fautre  mis. 

(5679-) 

Ne  vos  en  esmaids  de  rien. 
(3798;    cf.    3739,    3743, 
4071,  4732.) 


4064, 


Chascuns  sa  lance  sor  le  fautre. 
(2928  ;  cf.  4441,  5768.) 


Ne  soiiez  de  rien  esmaiiee. 

(4920;  cf  951,3413,4871,5183, 
5529.  5839^  5854-) 


94 


n:  IT.  Schoficid. 

4- 


En  h.iut  s'cscrie.  An  liaut  s'escrie. 

(243  ;  cf.  13S9, 1723,  2878,4486.)  (461 1  ;  cf.  4677,  4S41.) 


tot  \  devis. 

(374.  556) 
h  lor  devise. 

(734) 
k  ma  devise. 


tot  a  devise. 

(2717.) 
a  lor  devise. 

(2940.) 
a  ma  devise. 


(1621  ;  cf.  576,  2675,  914,  2622,  (528;  cf.  2021,  5289,  5324.) 

2712,  2617,4095.) 

6. 

a  estros :  vos. 
(668.) 


h  estros  :  vos. 

(398  ;  cf.  998,  2776,  3723, 
3941,  4362.) 


Sanz  nule  faille  :  bataille. 

(262,  1 159.) 
Sanz  faille. 


Sans  nule  faille  :  bataille. 

(413,  1053,  1999.) 
Sans  faille :  bataille. 

(367,  384,  888,  rii7,  1 166,  1354,  (1031,  5858.) 

1586,  1600,  1669,  2062,  2091.) 
Sans  faille. 

(1439,  1659,  3703,  3873,  4448, 
5264,  5395,  6060  ;  cf.  4856.) 


Mo(u)lt  do(u)cement.  Mout  doucemant. 

(402,  836, 1 168, 1450,  2359,  2418,  (905,  912,  4375,  6408,  6592  ;  cf. 

3511,4708;  cf.  2410,  4761.)  1761.) 

9- 
Gente  de  cors  at  de  vis  bi^le  (bele).   Jante  de  cors  et  de  vis  bele. 
(136,  4608;  cf.  156.)  (5884.) 

10. 
Moult  bele  et  gente.  Mout  bele  et  jante. 

(970,   1507,   1674,   1702,  1922,  (810,    1419,  6617;    cf.   34,   58, 

2403,  4237-)  1784,  3234,  5892-) 


bon  et  bel. 

(1888,  2835.) 


bon  et  bel. 

(613,    1276,    1334,    1585,    1914, 
5319,6774,  6805.) 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconiis. 


95 


bien  et  bel. 

(943,  1802,  1962.) 


Moult  pros  et  sage. 

(3474;  cf.  612,  1001,5036, 
6026.) 


13- 


bien  et  bel. 

(463,  522,  2225, 2612, 6457, 6606^ 
6868.) 

Mout  preuz,  mout  sage. 
(1354;  cf.  89,3642.) 


14. 


Qui  moult  fu  sages  et  cortois. 

(4842.) 
Sages  et  pros  et  cortois  fu. 

(4305;    cf.    3204,    3474,    5407, 
5816.) 


Mout  est  preuz  et  sage  et  cortoise. 
(3642 ;  cf.  687,  1354,  2276.) 


15- 

Tant  estoit  biaus  et  bien  apris.  Ele  estoit  bele  et  bien  aprise. 

(4279 ;  cf.  15s,  613,  2282,  4140,  (1677  ;  cf.  5302.) 

5030-) 

16. 
Moult  bele.  Mout  bele. 

(27,  96,  162,  15 12,  4377,  4633,  (398,  2807,  5498.) 

5451.)  Mout  bon. 

Moult  bon.  (1530,  3830.) 

(2967,5064,5114,5416.) 


17- 


de  moult  grant  pris. 

(825,  1700;  cf.  419,  2260.) 


de  mout  grant  pris. 

(2239;    cf.    2297,    4641,    4912, 
5480.) 


18. 


vaillans  et  preus.  vaillanz  et  preuz. 

(525,   2047;    cf.   28,  68,  962,  (1189,1354,  2193,6435;  cf.  54, 

3367.)  316,  1051,  1219.) 


19. 


Gauvains  li  cortois. 

(93) 
moult  cortois. 

(544S-) 


Gauvains  li  cortois. 

(6827.) 
mout  cortois. 

(128,    3226,    3315;     cf.    2276, 
4067,  4078.) 


96  IV.  H.  Schoficld. 

20. 

Moult  rices.  Mout  riches. 

(1S62,  2895,  3367,  3532,  4841,  (1274,  1334,  2641,  3608,  6805.) 

562S.)  Mout  richemant. 
Moult  ric(h)ement.  (2809.) 

(3600.  5409.) 

21. 

Debonaire  ct  franc.  Deboneire  et  franc. 

(3470.    3721,    4354;    cf.    492,  (378,  5060;  cf.  1485,  1632,4103, 


43 '2.) 

6230,  6652.) 
22. 

Chevalier  adreit. 

Chevalier  adroit. 

(76 ;  cf.  4037.) 

(150,  5717;  cf.  748,769.) 

0  ■^ 

Ma  douce  amie. 

-3- 
Ma  douce  amie. 

(1685,3847,4789; 

cf. 

1327-) 

(1403,  1441,  1837,2519,4568.) 

Ma  doce  dame. 

Ma  douce  dame. 

(3376.) 

(I579-) 
24. 

Biaus  dous  amis. 

Biaus  douz  amis. 

(1463;  cf.  2297.) 

(4252,  5449,  5469,  6497.) 

Biaus  amis. 

Biaus  amis. 

(2410,  2419.  3774, 

4893,  4903 

(5608.) 

4908 ;  cf.  3778.) 

25. 
Avenant  et  bele. 

Avenant  et  bel. 

(1298,  2232,  2486,  4338,  5078; 

;             (1668,6275;  cf.  1581,6345.) 

cf.  142.) 

26. 

bien  acesm^. 

bien  acesmez. 

(2904,  5835.) 

(3577-) 
27. 

Par  tel  vertu. 

Par  tel  vertu. 

(788;  cf.  mo.) 

(3603;  cf.  4219.) 

de  grant  vertu. 

de  grant  vertu. 

(2121,2910;  cf.  4751, 

5839-) 

(I73I-) 
28. 
a  eslds.i 

k  esl^s. 

(5554-) 

(2158;  cf.  4873,  6832.) 

^  The  difference  in  accent  is  due  to  the  difference  in  the  editing. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus. 


97 


29. 


Onques  nus  hom  ne  vit  tant  (si) 

bele. 

(1522,    1916,    i860,   2236;    cf. 
1282.) 
Onques  nus  home  plus  bel  (ne)  vit. 

(2344,  4680.) 
Onques  si  bele  de  veiie  Ne  vit  nus. 

(2752-3-) 
Plus  bel  ne  veirds  vos  jamais. 

(2348,  1902.) 
Si  bele  riens  ne  fu  velie. 

(15 14,  138;  cf.  3254,  5068.) 
Onques  si  bele  ne  fu  n^e. 

(1738;  cf.  663.) 
Plus  bele  feme  ne  fu  n^e. 

(2362.) 
Millor  chevalier  ne  vit  nus. 

(335-) 
Jk  millor  de  lui  ne  verrds. 

(554;  cf.  5422,  5473,5808.) 
Millor  de  vous  certes  ne  sai. 

(2254;  cf.  2699,  5457.) 
Plus  bele  de  li  je  ne  sai. 

(1731;  cf.  99  ff.) 
Ainc  hom  ne  vit  nule  millor. 

(1904;  cf.  1518,3119,3197.) 
Ainc  nus  hom  ne  vit  son  parel. 

(2039.) 
De  plus  bele  parler  n'oistes. 

(1530;  cf.  702.) 
Onques  si  bele  n'ot  el  mont. 

(2222,  3243  ;  cf.  4302  fF., 

5053-) 
Onques  si  bele  n'ot  sous  nue. 

(2224.) 
Millor  rien  n'ot  ne  rois,  ne  quens. 

(1508;  cf.  148,  4192  ff.,  4159, 

4170,43-) 
Tot  cil  qui  1'  voient  redisoient 
Que  si  biel  homme  ne  savoient. 
(99-100.) 

H 


Onques  si  bele  criature 

Ne  fu  veiie  an  tot  le  monde. 

(422-3.) 
tant  bel  home  onques  ne  vi. 

(3227-) 
Onques  plus  bele  ne  plus  fine 
Ne  fu  veiie  ne  trovee. 

(1616-7.) 
onques  mes  tant  bele  ne  vi. 

(4721.) 
onques  mes  veii  n'avoit. 

(444-) 
Le  mellor  chevalier  por  voir, 
Que  il  cuidast  onques  veoir. 

(4121-2.) 
Le  miaudre  hom  qui  onques  fust  nez. 

(2601.) 
Onques  si  bele  ne  conui. 

(1204.) 
Onques  ne  fu  de  mere  nez 
Miaudre  chevaliers  de  cestui. 

(3652-3 ;  cf.  3235.) 
Onques  mellor  n'ot  cuens  ne  rois. 

(1388,  2620.) 
Li  miaudre  qu'an  porra  savoir. 

(569;  cf.  also  435,  1255,  31 10  ff., 
4121-2,  5713.) 
Tuit  soloient  dire  I'autre  an 
Qu'an  tot  le  mont  ne  savoit  I'an 
Mellor  chevalier  ne  plus  preu. 

(2549  ff.) 


98  IV.  II.  Schoficld. 

30- 
Et  oil  volentiers  otria.  Et  cil  volantiers  li  otroient 

(599)  (2958.) 

Et  cil  moult  volentiers  Potroie. 
(25SS.) 
VoUniicrs    is    very   common    in 
both  poems. 

31- 
ii  grans  esfors.  grant  esforz. 

(5709;  cf.  5844.)  (3836-) 

32. 
aler  ^  rencontre.  aler  a  Tancontre. 

(1543,2516;  cf.  1366,5094.)  (209,   1174,   4987,   4992,   6905; 

cf.  3968,  5548.) 

33- 

Venir  tot  droit.  Venir  tot  (tuit)  droit. 

(75,    967,    1 128,    1722,    2955,  (116,  3032,  4593;  cf.  207,  347.) 

3069,  3458,  3841,  4202,  6001.) 

34- 
Congie  prandre.  Congi(5  prandre. 

(269,    1352,    1475,    1849,    2353,  (3292,3435.3516,6397,6405.) 

2360,  3612,  3769.)  Congid  demander. 

Congid  demander.  (2301,  3294-5.) 

(2335,  3570,  3762,  3961,  4310.)      Congie  doner. 
Congie  doner.  (2921,    3309;    cf.    2273,    2279, 

(3855-)  2295.) 

35- 
Vos  en  dirai  la  veritd.  La  verity  vos  an  dirai. 

(1191;  cf.  5959.)  (2541,    5388;    cf.    6033,    6051, 

6115,6139,  6247,  6260,  6292, 
6764,  6876.) 

36. 

Je  r  dirai ;  je  vos  dirai, 

De  rien,  nule  rien,  mentirai.  Si  que  de  rien  ne  mantirai. 

(875-6;  cf.  29,  878,  1976,  3949,  (6315-6  ;  cf.  6740,  6767.) 

4630,  5262.) 

37- 
Por  voir.  For  voir. 

(877,    1618,   2566,    4908,    5000,  (I043-) 

5326,6087;  cf.  888,  1226.) 


Studies  on  the  Li  beans  Desconus. 


99 


38. 


Sans  mentir. 

(2009,  3350.) 
Sans  mentir  et  sans  decevoir. 

(3355;  cf.  2176,4682.) 

k  grant  mervelle. 

(3710,  37I7.4300-) 

moult  grant  peril. 
(6038.) 

N'est  merveille  si  je  me  plain. 

(250.) 
N'est  mervelle  se  paor  a. 

(2747 ;  cf.  4482.) 


39- 


Sanz  mantir. 

(967,  1390.) 
Sanz  mantir  et  sanz  decevoir. 

(6790;  cf.  1777.) 

a  grant  mervoille. 
(5508.) 


40. 


41. 


mout  a  estd  an  grant  peril. 
(1 146;  cf.  4348.) 

N'est  mervoille  se  je  faz  duel. 

(4339 ;  cf.  499°-) 
N'est  pas  mervoille  s'il  s'esmaie. 
(4974;  cf.  1755,4854,  6023.) 


42. 


Qui  onques  n'ot  ire  ne  duel. 

(52;  cf.  1540.) 
Moult  font  grant  dol. 

(549;  cf.  1538,3869,5153.) 
Molt  demenoit  grant  dolor. 

(704-) 
Qui  a  dol  moult  grant. 


Qui  onques  n'ot  ire  ne  duel. 

^  (i960.) 
Qui  mout  an  avoit  grant  duel  fet. 
(4581;    cf.    2751,   3809,   4733, 
4945,  5829,  6527.) 
mout  grant  duel  demenoient. 
(2746 ;  cf.  2673,  4289.) 
(1546;  cf.  179-80,  861-2,  3492,     ai  mout  grant  duel. 
4818.)  (2735;    cf.   2460,   2485,   3318, 

4250,  4688,  4856.) 

43- 


Moult  dolant. 

(546,    1 198,    3873;    cf.    2059, 
3870.)  _^ 
Moult  angoissies. 

(4104;  cf.  4795.) 
Dolans  et  corecids. 

(5352.) 

au  plus  tost  que  vos  por(i)(£s. 

(3767,  4867  ;  cf.  422,  426,  4307, 
3852.) 


44. 


Mout  dolante. 

(2779,4400;  cf.  5130,5512, 

5877.) 
Mout  angoisseus. 

(2696,  6422.) 
Dolante  et  correciee. 

(I94-) 

Au  plus  tost  qu'il  porra. 
(2285;  cf.  3701,5561.) 


100 


IV.   II.   Schofuld. 


45- 
Robers  [li  escuiiers]  fu  moult  de  bel     Li  escuiiers  devant  aus  sert, 

servise. 

(9>S.) 
Devant  le  roi  fait  son  servise. 

(62.) 

Moult  les  savaient  bel  servir. 
(933;  cf.  67,  931,  1802.) 


Qui  son  servise  pas  no  pert. 

(3179-80.) 
Li  serjanz  fu  de  bel  ser\'ise. 

(3165;    cf.    1896,    2010,    5213, 
6191,  6390-1,  6567.) 


46. 


Es-vos  venant  les  chevaliers 
Tos  trois  armcs  sor  lor  destriers. 

(543-4-) 
Ci  voi  venir  iii  chevaliers 
Trestos  amids  sor  lor  destriers. 

(978-9.) 
Quant  voient  le  chevalier 
Venu  sor  son  destrier  armd. 

(2877-8  ;  cf.  366,  953  fF.,  2504, 
2965-6,  5380,  5421,  5804.) 


Quant  il  virent  un  chevalier 
Venir  arme  sor  un  destrier. 

(139-40.) 
Et  s'estoient  armd  tuit  ti^oi. 

(2799;  cf.  1 107.) 


en  nule  guise. 

(462,4172,  5120.) 


ploroient  de  pitid. 

(1850.) 
de  joie  plorer. 

(868.) 


venir  as  fenestres. 
(2098.) 


ariere  se  trait. 
(2936.) 


grant  aleure. 
(2886.) 


47- 


an  nule  guise. 

(1576,  3344,  4256,  4497,  6062.) 


48. 


de  pitid  ploroient. 

(1471  ;  cf.  1465.) 
de  joie  plorer. 

(683,  4473,  6892.) 


49. 


venir  as  fenestres. 
(1142;  cf.  1522.) 


50. 


arrieres  se  tret. 

(411 1  :  cf.  3835.) 


51- 


grant  aleure. 

(254,  2768,  2774,  2900,  3959, 
4188,  4674,  4934.) 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus. 


lOI 


Cil  le  vit  venir. 

(291 1 ;    cf.    3142,    3837, 
5524,  5699,  5735.) 


52. 

Cil  le  voit  venir. 
4256,  (2859;  cf.  3572,  4205.) 

53- 


A  son  cief  a  son  escu  mis. 

A  son  chief  a  mis  son  escu. 

(3229;  cf.  5307.) 

(3096.) 

54- 

Puis  a  mis  la  main  k  I'esp^e. 

Lors  met  a  Pespee  la  main. 

(5787.  445.  3129.) 

(4033-) 

55- 

mien  enscient. 

mien  esciant. 

(3678.) 

(855,4318,4530,5910.) 

56. 

aport^rent  or  et  argent. 

porter  arjant  et  or. 

(3625-6 ;  cf.  4656.) 

(2714.) 

57- 

Ne  sait  que  face. 

ne  set  que  face. 

(4026.) 

(3064.) 

58. 

moult  li  plot. 

Mout  li  plot. 

(4373-) 

(1676;  cf.  3290,  6283.) 

59- 

u  mors  u  pris. 

ou  morz  ou  pris. 

(575 ;  cf.  999.) 

(4971,  5040,  2834.) 

60. 

sor  son  ceval  isnel. 

Sor  un  cheval  .  .  .  isnel. 

(S377-) 

(3573;  cf.  2197.) 

61. 

bel  et  cler. 

cleres  et  beles. 

(5401.) 

(618,  6853.) 

62. 

k  mult  grant  conpaigne. 

a  mout  riche  conpaingne. 

(5419;  cf.  5481.) 

(1940.) 

XJNTVr:^'="^'^v  OF  CALIFORNIA 
SANTA  BARBARA 


I02 


;/;  n.  Schojieid. 

63- 


ses  escus  d'asur  estoit. 

Un  chevalier  i  ai  v(5u 
Qui  porte  un  escu  d'azon. 
(5818-9.) 

Hardis  estoit  comme  lupars. 
(5458.) 

Isneleniant  leva. 

(203.  2450,  etc.) 

Tespee  d'acier. 
(57I5-) 

C.  chevaliers. 

(5378,  5730,  5739,  5792.) 


uns  clicvaliers  aiinez 
D'unes  amies  d'azur  et  d'or. 
(584-5;   Cf.  2I42fT.) 


64. 


6s. 


Orent  sanblance  de  liepart 
(672S.) 

Levez  isnelemant. 
(3470.) 


66. 


espi^  d'acier. 
(3585.) 


67. 


9ant  chevaliers. 
(1942.) 


68. 


Iluec  le  guerredon  li  rent. 
(4736;  cf.  4748.) 

aler  c(h)evau9ant. 
(691,  1264,  5735.) 

Es  vos  poi('n)gnant. 
(1293,  1099,  1 120.) 


je  randrai  le  guerredon. 
(632  ;  cf.  4566,  4569.) 

69. 

aler  chevauchant. 
(2801,  5768-9.) 

70. 

Ez  vos  poignant. 

(3589-) 
Par  la  forest  s"en  vait  poi(n)gnant.      Parmi  la  forest  a  droiture 

(1385  ;  cf.  275,  769,  1 1 27,  1365,      S"en  vet  poignant  grant  alelire 
1381.)  (3619-20;  cf.  106,4308.) 

71- 

moult  durement  le  vait  fdrir.  L'uns  anvai'st  Pautre  et  requiert : 

(447  ;  cf.  5710.)  Erec  si  duremant  le  fiert 

Moult  tr&s  durement  se  requierent ;  Que  li  escuz  del  col  li  vole. 
Par  si  grant  vertu  s''entrefierent.  (3013  ff-) 

(5684-5.)  (For  the  rhyme,  le  requiert:   le 

L'escu  le  fait  del  col  voler.  fiert,  see  953-4) 

(432-) 


Studies  oil  the  Libeaus  Desconus. 


103 


(For  durement,  see   1141,  1424, 

1431-3,  2632,  5821.) 
(For  the  rhyme,  le  requiert :   le 

fiert,  see  3023-4, 463-4;  fierent : 

requierent,  1139-40.) 

vos  ne  targer^s  gaire. 
(3766.) 


72. 


73- 


a  or  broudee. 
(5075-) 


Ne  tarda  gueires. 
(1915-) 

brosdd  a  or. 
(5881.) 


74- 


For  expressions  of  grant  joie,  see     grant  joie. 

272,   1 1 79,    1480,    2462,    2466,  (68r,    1247,    1301,    1316,    1445, 

2702,   3219,  3397,  4374,  4618,  1535,  1900,  2039,  2069,  2338, 

4635,   5026,   5144,  5974,  5994,  235s,  2369,  2372,2387,2782, 

6004,  6010.  4007,  4192,  4595,  61 18,  6296, 

6334,  6352,  6356,  6469,  6582, 
6593,  6632,  6657,  6945.) 
75- 
For  accounts  of  arming,  see  260,     Arming. 

343j  387,  67s,  1040,  1369,  1805,  (2626,  2660,  3696,  4302,  4885, 

1950?  1957,  2048,  2065,  2457,  496555332,5691-) 

2610,   5343. 
Disarming.  Disarming. 

(607,   805,    ii6r,    1440,  2679,  (988,    1298,    3260,  4206,   4683, 

3407,  etc.)  5132,  etc) 

76. 
li^s  ;  joianz.  joianz  et  liez. 

(Cf.    482,    3909,    3921,    4175,  (372,  685;  cf.  3208,  3409,  3513, 


4365,  4703,  5244.) 


Commendation  to  God. 
(2434,  3614,  3859,  etc.) 


77- 


78. 


vermelles :  h.  mervelles. 

(1706-7,  1 88 1 -2;  cf.  2039-40, 
4299-4300.) 


4198,  4560,  4723,  5061,  5238, 
5299,  6165,  6339,  6897.) 

Commendation  to  God. 

(271,  274,  1454,  1457,  2302, 
3423,  3928,  4303,  4374,  6403.) 

vermoilles :  a  mervoilles. 

(5899-5900;  cf.  429,  1755. 
4334-) 


104 


IV.  11.  Schoficld. 
79- 


Ceval  (destrier)  Gascon.  Lc  bai  de  Gascoingne. 

(loSo.  5758,   5856;   cf.   armds  (2663.) 

sor  le  Gascont,  1699.) 

So. 
Daybreak.  Daybreak. 

(1 147.   11S2,  2449,  3233,  4932,  (69,    1347,    3461,    3499,    4244, 

5944,6065.)  4278,  5271.) 

81. 
L'uns  acole  I'autre  et  enbrace.  Li  uns  I'autre  beise  et  acole. 

(1 794-)  (3920.) 

Tenbrace  et  acole.  I'acole  et  anbrace. 

(26S2,  etc.)  (4158,  etc.) 


ferir  tot  h.  bandon. 
(5584;  cf.  5782.) 

quites  serra. 
(2249.) 


ferir  tot  a  bandon. 

(975  ;  cf.  3022,  6687.) 


83- 


soiiez  toz  quites. 
(5458.) 


Car  tant  en  ai  o'i  parler :  aler. 
(2493) 

Parmi  la  porte  entrent  errant. 
(2546.) 

Les  cevals  fisent  enseler. 
(2726;  cf.  1 1 80,  6070.) 

Quant  il  les  vit,  si  ot  vergoigne. 
(4568 ;  cf.  3930.) 


85. 


86. 


87. 


J 'an  ai  sovant  01  parler :  aler. 
(5434-) 

Parmi  la  porte  antre  an  la  cort. 
(383-) 

Ses  chevaus  comande  anseler. 
(1432,  4281 ;  cf.  3489,  6440.) 

Vergoingne  an  ot. 
(447-) 


Moult  fesistes  grant  mesprison 
(39650 


tra'ison  Vers  vos  feroie  et  mes- 
prison. 

(5640 ;  cf.  6098.) 


Puis  resont  k  Tostel  venu. 
(2719.) 


Tost  furent  a  I'ostel  venu. 
(3203) 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus. 


105 


90. 


Ki  ne  fu  ne  fols,  ni  vilains. 
(4360;  cf.  154.) 

D'un  drap  de  soie  estoit  vestue 
( :  veiie). 
(1513-4-) 

Quant  I'aube  esclarci. 
(3803.) 

Moult  forment  crie  et  pleure. 
(629.) 

Artus  n'i  vaut  plus  demorer. 
(5831-) 

Li  murs  en  furent  rice  et  bel, 
Dont  li  castels  tos  clos  estoit. 
(186S-9.) 

Moult  fu  li  castels  bien  asis. 
(1861.) 

Sor  son  puing  porte  Pesprevier. 
(18150 


91. 


92. 


93- 


Ele  n'estoit  mie  vilainne. 
(475-) 

De  dras  de  soie  .  .  . 
Que  d'autre  robe  fust  vestue  (:  veiie). 
(I57S-8.) 

Quant  Taube  est  esclarcie. 
(H30-) 

Por  quoi  si  formant  plore  et  crie. 
(4336.) 


94. 


95- 


Erec  ne  voloit  pas  antandre. 
(2215.) 

Qui  close  estoit  de  mur  an  tor. 
(3672.) 


96. 


97- 


un  chastel  Mout  bien  seant. 
(345-6.) 

Peissoit  sor  son  poing  I'esprevier. 
(1308.) 


un  ceval  d'Espaigne. 
(5760.) 

Que  vos  iroie  je  contant  ? 

(5953,  6095,  4337-) 
Que  feroie  longes  noveles? 

(6069,  3627.) 


Un  corant  destrier  d'Espaingne. 
(23950 


99. 


Por  quoi  vos  feroie  lone  conte? 
(1084O 


I  soient  andoi  courond. 

(6057  ;  cf.  6034,  6100O 


corond  seront  andui. 
(6549O 


io6  ]\'.  JI.  Si/ioJhU. 

lOI. 

Ci  taut  li  rounians  ct  define.  Li  contcs  fine  ci  a  tant. 

(6103.)  (6958.) 

These  lists,  though  they  contain  a  number  of  passages  where  the 
agreement  is  not  very  striking,  or  wliere  the  agreement  is  due  to  the 
existence  in  the  poetic  language  of  a  considerable  stock  of  current 
phrases,  are  yet  sufficient  to  establish  the  fact  of  very  extensive  bor- 
rowing by  Renaud  from  the  Efcc.  The  effect  of  this  observation  on 
the  question  of  the  relations  between  LD  and  EI  is  clear.  LD  shows 
no  trace  of  these  borrowings.  It  is  inconceivable  that  the  author 
of  LD,  if,  as  Kaluza  thinks,  he  based  his  work  on  BI,  should  have 
eliminated  all. 

The  arguments  drawn  from  the  comparison  of  proper  names,  and 
especially  from  these  parallel  passages,  combined  with  the  consider- 
ations previously  adduced,^  may  fairly  be  held  to  demonstrate  that 
the  English  poem  is  not  derived  from  that  of  Renaud  de  Beaujeu. 

CHANGES  INTRODUCED  BY  RENAUD. 

The  establishment  of  this  proposition  makes  much  simpler  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  remaining  questions.  Since  it  is  now  certain  that 
many  things  in  Renaud's  poem  are  due  to  modifications  introduced 
by  him  in  an  original  which  has  perished,  we  may  proceed  to  examine 
what  these  changes  are,  as  well  in  details,  as  in  general  features. 

Notable  among  the  latter  are  :  the  omission  of  all  account  of  the 
hero's  youth ;  the  added  imp^rtance_given  to  the  stay  at  the  He 
d'Or,  and  the  return  visit;  the  introduction  of  the  squire  Robert ; 
and  the  account  of  the  tournament. 

It  is  almost  certain  that  there  was  in  the  original  Desconus  story 
an  introductory  part,  such  as  is  found  in  all  versions  but  BI,  telling 
of  the  youth  of  the  hero,  his  solitary  life  in  the  woods,  and  his  going 
to  Arthur's  court.  Why,  then,  did  Renaud  omit  this  ?  The  reason 
seems  to  be  that,  as  he  was  forming  his  poem  on  the  model  of  Ergt^ 


^  Another  argument  will  be  found  below,  pp.  120  f. ;   cf.  also  p.  150. 

*  It  was  natural  for  Renaud  to  turn  to  Erec,  for  this  was  the  very  poem  from 
which  borrowings  had  been  made  by  the  author  of  his  original  (see  pp.  113,  133, 
145,  152,  below). 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconus.  107 

Jie  decided  to  begin  it  in  the  same  way.  Chretien  opens  his  poem 
by  giving  us  his  name  and  telling  us  his  desires  in  writing  the  story, 
which,  he  says, 

Tret  d\in  conte  d'avanture 

Una  mout  bele  conjointure.     (13-14.) 
He  adds : 

Tant  con  Deus  la  grace  Tan  done  .  .  . 

Des  or  comancerai  Pestoire.     (18-23.) 

Renaud  follows  suit,  and  begins  in  the  same  way  by  telling  of  him- 
self and  his  motives  in  writing  the  book : 

_  For  li  veul  un  roumant  estraire^ 
DMn  nioult  biel  conte  d'aventure ;  •  .  . 
Vos  veul  ristoire  commander ; 
En  poi  d'eure  puet  Dius  aidier.     (4-8.) 

Chretien  goes  on  directly  to  tell  of  Arthur  and  his  court,  and  intro- 
duces us  to  the  chief  characters  of  his  story  without  any  previous 
explanations.  In  this  point  also  Renaud  wished  to  follow  him,  and 
therefore  he  had  to  omit  everything  which  in  his  original  preceded 
the  boy's  coming  to  court. 

It  may  be,  however,  that  Renaud  was  the  more  disposed  to  make 
this  change  because,  as  we  shall  see  later,  he  to  some  extent  iden- 
tified himself  with  his  hero,  and  so  was  not  likely  to  make  prominent 
the  latter's  wild  Hfe  in  the  woods.  In  fact,  the  hero's  youth  is  not 
emphasized  in  the  way  in  which  we  should  expect,  and  "as  we  find  it 
emphasized  in  LD. 

It  is  remarkable  that  Renaud  nevertheless  leaves  clear  traces  that 
this  introduction  was  an  essential  part  of  his  original,^  for  the  boy 
declares,  when  asked  his  name,  that  he  knows  nothing  of  his  father, 
and  that  his  mother  called  him  only  Belfil,  just  as  LD's  mother  called 
him  only  by  the  same  name,  Beaufis.  Moreover  the  words  of  the 
fee  to  BI  also  show  that  Renaud  knew  the  introduction  of  the  story. 
She  tells  BI  that  she  had  always  known  him  to  be  a  son  of  the 
valiant  Gawein. 

Por  ce  vos  amai  je  forment, 
Cids  vostre  mire  moult  sovent 


1  Cf.  Paris,  Rom.,  XV,  15,  n.  3. 


lOS  J/'.   //.   Si/iofn-hi. 

Aloie  je  por  vos  V(5ir  ; 

Mais  nus  ne  m"en  fosist  issir. 

Votre  m6re  vos  adoba 

All  roi  Artur  vos  envoia.     (4877  fF.) 

This  clearly  implies  the  solitary  life  of  the  mother,  and  states 
plainly  that  she  had  given  him  armor  and  sent  him  to  Arthur  (as 
in  Car.). 

The  motives  which  Renaud  avows  in  writing  the  book  also  help  us 
to  understand  the  changes  he  has  made.  He  was  not  a  poet  by 
profession.  This  poem  was  probably  the  first  he  ever  wrote,  and 
it  he  began  to  write  with  a  conscious  purpose,  —  to  evince  his  love 
to  one  whom  he  adored,  and  to  sTiow  her  what  he  could  do 
("  Mostrer  vuel  que  faire  sai,"  10).  It  was  to  be  a  means  ot 
pressing  his  suit.  To  attain  his  twofold  purpose  he  therefore,  it 
is  evident,  decided  on  two  things.  First,  he  would  show  his 
love  by  identifying  his  loved  one  with  one  of  the  characters  of  the 
stor}',  whom  he  would  describe  as  the  most  beautiful  being  in  the 
world  and  the  possessor  of  irresistible  charms.  Secondly,  he  would  j 
endeavor  to  write  as  good  a  poem  as  he  could,  that  her  respect  for ' 
him  and  his  powers  might  be  heightened.* 

There  was  but  one  character  whom  he  could  identify  with  his 
loved  one,  and  that  was  the  enchantress  of  the  He  d'Or.  To  bring 
about  this  end  he  has  to  change  the  whole  ending  of  the  story.  He 
represents  the  young  hero  as  in  love  with  her,  and  her  only.  He 
goes  on  to  free  the  enchanted  princess,  from  a  sense  of  duty,  that 
he  may  not  lose  his  honor.  Hardly  has  he  accomplished  his  end 
before  he  longs  for  her  whom  he  has  left.  His  only  desire  now  is  to 
return  to  her  and  obtain  her  forgiveness  for  his  having  gone  away 
before.  He  feigns  a  reason  for  not  accompanying  the  disenchanted 
princess,  whose  proffered  hand  he  declares  he  cannot  then  accept. 
He  travels  back  to  the  He  d'Or,  and  when  he  gets  an  opportunity 
pours  out  his  love  with  ardor  to  the  fee.  She,  however,  scornfully 
repulses  him,  for  he  has  done  her  a  wrong,  albeit  it  was  to  maintain 
his  honor.  The  young  hero  is  so  overwhelmed  with  grief  that  he  is 
like  to  die,  and  his  companion's  comforting  avails  little.  There  is  but 
one  thing  that  saves  his  life  :  his  loved  one  relents  and  bids  him 


1  On  the  second  point  cf.  Paris,  Rom.,  XV,  10. 


Studies  on  the  Libcaiis  Descomis.  109 

come  to  her.  She  has  only  been  testing  him,  and  now  that  she  sees 
his  love  is  sincere,  she  gives  herself  up  unreservedly  to  him,  and  his 
fidelity  has  its  reward. 

Here  we  can  see  Renaud  expressing  his  hopes,  and  perhaps  even 
alluding  to  his  own  experiences.  He  had  offended  his  loved  one, 
it  may  be,  and  had  been  repulsed ;  but  his  love  had  kept  on  increas- 
ing until  his  distress  was  too  great  to  bear.  He  hoped  that  his  aniie 
was  only  testing  him,  and  that  the  evidence  he  gave  her  in  his  poem 
of  the  ardor  of  his  affections  and  the  constancy  of  his  devotion  would 
secure  for  him  the  object  of  his  hopes,  and  restore  him  to  happiness. 

But  Renaud  could  not  neglect  entirely  the  original  ending  of  the 
story.  After  a  while  he  brings  BI  back  to  Arthur,  at  whose  request 
he  marries  the  princess  and  goes  home  to  live  with  her.  Despite 
this  apparent  inconstancy,  however,  his  heart  is  still  fixed  on  the 
fee,  and  in  the  concluding  lines  of  his  poem  Renaud,  while  reiterat- 
ing the  expression  of  his  own  affection,  says  that  if  his  loved  one  will 
show  him  biau  sanblant,  he  will,  in  a  new  story,  bring  Giglain  back 
to  his  true  love.     If  not,  he  will  never  speak  of  him  again. 

Si  art  Giglains  en  tel  esmai, 

Que  jamais  n^avera  s'amie.     (61 16-7.) 

We  must  believe,  as  Paris  says,  that  his  "  mult  am6e "  remained 
relentless,  for  we  do  not  know  of  any  other  poem  on  this  subject 
by  Renaud. 

It  is,  then,  because  of  this  avowed  affection  that  Renaud  intro- 
duces at  different  places  in  his  poem  personal  digressions  of  various 
kinds,^  notably  that  very  interesting  passage  where  he  speaks  of  his 
"  mult  am^e,"  whom  he  would  fain  call  his  ajnie  (1226-59). 

Having  thus  made  the  fee  the  leading  figure  in  his  poem,  with  the 
exception  only  of  the  hero  himself,  and  having  identified  her  with  his 
own  loved  one,  Renaud  does  not  surprise  us  when  we  see  the  inci- 
dents in  which  she  plays  a  part  increased  in  importance,  and  her 
marvellous  beauty  and  skill  dwelt  upon  at  length.  It  is  not  surpris- 
ing, further,  that  she  should  be  the  one  to  reveal  to  him  his  noble 
birth.  It  is  but  fitting  that  she  should  return  his  love  and  avow 
affection  for  him  from  the  beginning  of  his  career. 

1  "lis  rappellent  les  interruptions  du  meme  genre  qui  se  trouvent  dans  Farle- 
nopeus  de  Blois."     Paris,  Rom.,  XV,  10. 


no  jj:  //.  Si-/iojuiJ. 

Hut  the  original  Desconus  poem  must  have  been  comparatively 
short,  while  Etrc,  which  Renaud  hatl  chosen  as  a  guide  in  matters 
of  form  and  expression,  was  much  longer.  The  story,  then,  had  to 
be  extended,  and  the  means  our  poet  took  are  well  known  to  us. 
Had  he  followed  his  original,  even  expanding  as  much  as  he  has 
done  in  the  corresponding  parts,  his  poem  would  have  been  shorter 
by  at  least  the  2500  lines  now  taken  up  mainly  by  the  account  of 
the  return  visit  to  the  He  d'Or  and  the  great  tournament  which 
was  proclaimed  to  lure  BI  back  to  court. 

The  Squire  Robert.  It  has  always  been  one  of  the  strongest  argu- 
ments of  Kolbing,  Paris,  and  the  others  who  have  held  that  the 
English  poem  was  not  drawn  from  BI,  that  there  is  in  the  latter  a 
squire  who  is  the  hero's  constant  attendant  and  helper  from  the  time 
he  leaves  the  court,  while  no  such  character  is  to  be  found  in  LD, 
Car.,  or  Wig.  Kaluza,  however,  still  maintains  that  the  author  of 
LD  leaves  clear  signs  that  he  knew  such  a  figure  by  the  mention 
of  Gifflet,  the  steward  of  the  He  d'Or,  whom  LD  takes  as  his  man 
when  he  leaves  the  castle.^  It  is  then  evidently  Kaluza's  opinion 
that  the  English  poet  made  up  his  mind  at  the  beginning  that  the 
character  of  Robert  was  unnecessary,  and  sedulously  avoided  men- 
tioning him  or  making  the  slightest  reference  to  his  constant  inter- 
ference in  the  French  story.  This  must  have  required  strict  attention 
from  the  author,  and  caused  him  no  little  trouble.  The  only  reason 
for  introducing  the  squire  at  the  end  would  surely  be  because  the 
poet  found  that  some  one  was  needed  to  do  what  Robert  did  in  BI. 
Has  Kaluza,  however,  even  this  justification  for  his  theory? 

If  we  follow  Robert's  doings  in  BI  from  the  time  when  Gifflet 
enters  the  story  in  LD,  we  see  that  it  is  he  who  grows  anxious  at  the 
way  the  people  of  Galigan  treat  his  master  as  they  ride  along,  and 
who  calls  the  latter's  attention  to  them.  It  is  he-  who  during  the 
fight  selects  the  best  shaft  he  can  get  and  bears  it  to  his  master,  who 
has  broken  his  own.  It  is  he  who  begs  him  for  the  love  of  God  not 
to  forget  "  les  laides  torces,  ne  les  pos,"  for  the  streets  are  full  of 
people  who  await  his  overthrow.  It  is  he  who  swoons  from  grief 
when  BI  enters  the  enchanted  city  and  who  greets  him  with  joy  after 


1  "  Es  ist  dies  offenbar   eine  reminiscenz  an   den  knappen  Robers  des   frz. 
gedichtes."     Kaluza,  Lib.  Desc,  p.  cxxxiv. 


Studies  on  the  Lib  cans  Deseonus.  iii 

he  is  victorious  in  the  encounter.  It  is  he,  moreover,  who  afterwards 
remains  his  faithful  helper  in  every  extremity,  and  who  returns  with 
him  to  the  court  of  King  Arthur.  If  now  we  turn  to  Gifflet,  we  see 
that  he  accompanies  LD  to  Lambard's  house,  but  says  not  a  word 
and  gives  no  help  ;  and  that  he  offers  to  go  with  LD  to  the  enchanted 
city,  but  has  his  offer  refused.  Then  he  disappears  from  the  narra- 
tive. His  name  is  thus  mentioned  only  three  times,  and  he  prac- 
tically does  nothing  at  all.  If  the  author  of  LD  had  been  sedulously 
keeping  Robert  out  of  his  story,  would  he  have  introduced  him  just 
at  the  end  without  a  reason?  Robert  is  certainly  an  invention  of 
Renaud's ;  and  it  seems  to  me  far  easier  to  suppose  that  he  was 
developed  out  of  Gifflet  rather  than  that  Gififlet  was  a  useless 
"reminiscence  "  of  him.  It  is  easy  to  put  a  drop  of  ink  into  a  glass 
of  clear  water  and  color  the  whole  ;  but  it  is  not  easy  to  make  the 
colored  water  clear  again. 

Further  considerations  seem  to  settle  the  matter.  We  shall  later 
have  occasion  to  discuss  some  possible  relations  between  the  Welsh 
Perediir  and  our  cycle.^  It  is  necessary  at  this  point  to  anticipate 
that  discussion  so  far  as  to  remark  that  as  Peredur  was  nearing  the 
end  of  his  journey,  and  as  he  was  about  to  leave  the  scene  of  one  of 
his  adventures,  he  took  with  him  a  certain  knight  who  offered  to  be 
his  man.  The  latter  did  nothing  of  importance,  and  was  soon  lost 
sight  of.  May  not  this  knight  represent  the  original  of  Gifflet  ?  Be 
it  noted  that  Wig.  has  no  character  corresponding  to  Gififlet,  the 
steward  of  the  mistress  of  the  He  d'Or,  because  there  is  no  account 
in  it  of  a  visit  to  the  castle  of  the  enchantress.  We  have,  however, 
an  example  in  the  German  poem  of  the  same  sort  of  thing,  for  our 
hero  makes  Adan  his  assistant  when  near  the  end  of  his  adventures, 
even  though  he  had  got  along  without  a  helper  up  to  that  time.^ 

The  Tournament.  The  only  other  important  addition  is  the 
tournament,  whicli  is  the  means  of  getting  BI  back  to  court.  Just 
as  Erec,  in  the  rapture  of  his  delights  with  Enide,  forgets  his  old- 
time  pursuits  until  his  companions  mourn  and  he  is  stimulated  to 
seek  adventure  again  by  their  suggestion,  so  BI's  abandoning  himself 
to  pleasure  causes  all  his  friends  to  grieve,  and  they  suggest  to  Arthur 

^  See  below,  pp.  147  ff. 

^  We  might  ask  also  if  the  porter  in  Lambard's  house  in  LD  is  a  reminiscence 
of  the  porter  of  the  city  of  the  lie  d'Or  in  BL 


112  //://.  Sc/iofuld. 

that  a  great  tournament  be  proclaimed,  in  the  hope  of  winning  the 
young  knight  back  to  a  chivalrous  life.' 

Aside  from  these  important  changes,  which  have  been  made  by 
Renaud  for  reasons  already  examined,  there  are  many  smaller 
changes  in  which  the  influence  of  Enr  is  noticeable. 

1.  When  Renaud  introduces  the  dwarf,  he  provides  him  with  a 
cor^'e,  such  as  the  dwarf  has  in  Erec.  The  dwarf's  smallness,  which 
caused  him  shame,  is  also  commented  on,  as  in  Erec.  There  is  no 
parallel  to  these  features  in  the  other  poems.^ 

2.  When  Ht^lie  appeals  to  the  king  against  the  sending  of  BI, 
Arthur  replies  that  he,  as  king,  cannot  break  his  promise.^ 

3.  It  seems  probable  that  the  speech  of  Bliobli^ris  in  BI  in  which 
he  asserts  that  he  has  kept  his  place  for  mo7'e  than  seven  years 
and  slain  many  a  knight  —  a  point  in  which,  as  will  be  seen  (p.  226), 
Renaud  clearly  varies  from  his  original  —  is  a  reminiscence  01  the 
passage  in  E?-ec  in  which  Erec  is  told  of  the  knight  he  is  to  meet 
in  the  adventure  of  lajoie  de  la  cort.     Cf.  BI,  417  ff. : 

Et  je  cartes  plus  de  vii  ans 
Maintes  gens  i  ai  fais  dolens, 
Et  maint  bon  chevalier  de  pris 
I  ai  abatu  et  ocis. 


with  Erec,  5435  ff- 


Et  passd  a  set  anz  ou  plus 
Que  del  chastel  ne  revint  nus 
Qui  Tavanture  i  alast  querre ; 
Si  sent  venu  de  mainte  terre 
Chevalier  fi6r  et  corageus.  .  .  . 
L'avanture  don  nus  n'estort, 
Qu'il  n'i  receive  honte  ou  mort. 


1  Cf.  the  description  of  the  tournament  in  Diirmart,  6969-8738,  with  that  in 
BI,  5498-5960.  Cf.  also  the  return  of  Fergus  to  take  part  in  a  tourney  proclaimed 
by  Arthur  {Fergus,  pp.  172  ff.).  See  the  note  in  Jessie  L.  Weston's  trans,  of 
Parzival,  London,  1894,  I,  304. 

2  Cf.  BI,  163  ff.,  with  Erec,  143  ff.,  161-2.  There  are  verbal  resemblances 
between  the  passages. 

'  Cf.  "Rois  sui:  si  ne  dei  pas  mentir,"  BI,  241  (see  also  217),  with  Erec, 
^793  '■  "  Je  sui  rois,  ne  doi  pas  mantir."  The  phrase  is,  however,  proverbial :  of., 
e.g.,  the  prose  Tristan,  ed.  Loseth,  p.  215,  and  Chaucer,  Merch.  T.,  1067  ff. 


Studies  on  the  Libeans  Desconus.  113 

4.  Erec  hears  the  cries  of  a  woman  in  distress  in  a  wood,  and 
calls  the  attention  of  Enide,  his  companion,  to  the  sound.^ 

Tot  maintenant  Enide  apele. 

'•  Dame,'  fat  11,  '  une  pucele 

Va  par  eel  bois  formant  criant. 

Ele  a  par  le  mien  esciant 

Mestier  d'aie  et  de  secors. 

Cele  part  vuel  aler  le  cors, 

Si  savrai  quel  besoing  ele  a.'     (4315  ff-) 

In  like  manner,  when  BI  hears  the  young  woman's  cries,  he 
arouses  H^Ue  and  exclaims : 

'Ha!  Pucele,  oes-vos  crier?  ... 

Ce  semble  mestier  ait  d'aie, 

Por  ce  reclaime  Diu  et  prie. 

Jo  vel  aler  poi  li  aidier, 

Si  je  voi  qu'ele  en  ait  mestier, 

Haiderai  li  a  men  pooir.'     (637-49.) 

5.  The  maiden  who  is  freed  from  her  trouble,  in  both  poems,^ 
offers  to  be  the  servant  of  her  rescuer  in  the  same  words  : 

Tos  jors  mais  serai  vostre  ancele.     (BI,  865.) 
Toz  jorz  serai  mes  vostre  ancele.     (E.,  4366.) 

6.  In  Erec,  as  well  as  in  BI,  the  hero  has  a  fight  with  three  war- 
riors who  come  against  him.^  BI  was  evidently  influenced  by  this 
episode  in  the  following  points : 


1  In  this  and  the  sparrow-hawk  adventure  (see  No.  8,  below),  we  must  suppose 
that  borrowings  in  these  incidents  were  made  by  the  author  of  the  original  of  LD 
and  BI;  but  there  is  no  need  to  believe  that  these  were  of  a  verbal  nature,  as 
were  those  of  Renaud  from  Erec  (see  pp.  133  ff.,  below). 

2  Cf.  the  following  passages  from  the  descriptions  of  the  fight : 

Mes  Erec  tint  I'espee  treite,  Car  cil  li  cort  atot  I'esp^e, 

Une  anvaie  li  a  feite,  Si  fdri  moult  bien  le  jaiant; 

Dont  li  jaianz  fu  mal  serviz,  Un  cop  li  donne  moult  pesant, 

Si  le  fiert  paimi  la  cerviz  Sus  en  la  teste,  en  la  cervfele, 

Que  tot  jusqu'as  arcjons  le  fant.  De  si  &s  dens  met  Talimele. 

Si  li  a  tolue  la  vie  .  .  . 

Et  li  cors  chiet  toz  estanduz.  (E.,  4465-71.)       Li  jaians  ciet  sor  I'erbe  drue.     (BI,  794-801.) 

^  Cf.  Mennung,  pp.  16,  49. 


I  14  Ji:  //.   Si/iofu-/,i. 

(<;)   Erec   is  warned    by   ICnidc  of  their  approach,  as  is  BI   by 
Robert.     Cf. 
"~^  '  Biaus  sire,  ou  paiisez  vos  ? 

Ci  viciiciit  poignant  aprds  vos 

Troi  chevalier  qui  mout  vos  chacent. 

Pcor  ai  que  mal  ne  vos  fixcent.'     (E.,  2S45  flf.) 
with 

'  Sire,  fait  il,  tost  vos  armds,  ... 

De  bien  faire  apensds  soiiis,  .  .  . 

Ci  voi  venir  in  chevaHers, 

Trestos  arnicas  sor  lor  destriers  ; 

Je  pense  et  voir  vos  en  cuic  dire, 

Prendre  vos  vienent,  u  ocire.'     (BI,  973-80.) 

{b)  Both  Enide  and  Ht^He  are  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of  a  fight 
one  to  three,  and  fear  that  their  companion  will  be  "  killed  or 
taken."     Cf. 

Or  iert  ja  morz  ou  pris  mes  sire  ; 

Que  oil  sont  troi,  et  il  est  seus.     (E.,  2834-5.) 
with 

Pris  u  ocis  fust  maintenant.     (BI,  999-) 

II  n"a  pas  force  vers'vos  trois.     (BI,  1013.) 

{c)  Renaud,  unlike  the  author  of  LD,  makes  the  three  come  sep- 
arately at  the  knight,  and  goes  out  of  his  way  to  make  an  explana- 
tion of  it.     In  this  he  follows  Chretien.     Cf. 

Adonc  estoit  costume  et  us 
Que  dui  chevalier  a  un  poindre 
Ne  devoient  a  un  seul  joindre.     (E.,  2826  ff.) 
with 

Et  a  eel  tens  costume  estoit 

Que  quant  i  hom  se  conbatoit, 

N'avait  garde  que  de  celui 

Qui  faisoit  la  bataille  a  lui.     (BI,  1055  ff.) 

{d)  It  is  important  to  observe  that  in  Erec  the  three  are  said 
to  be  robbers,  pure  and  simple  ("qui  de  roberie  vivoit,"  2797), 
although  they  have  these  knighdy  customs,  and  that  they  set  upon 
Erec  and  Enide  merely  for  the  sake  of  plunder. 

Mout  covoitent  le  palefroi 

Que  Enide  va  chevauchant.     (2800-1.) 


Studies  on  the  Libemis  Deseonus.  1 15 

The  one  who  first  sees  them  claims  the  right  to  begin  the  fight. 
All  he  wants  for  his  share  of  the  spoil  is  the  palfrey ;  his  compan- 
ions are  welcome  to  the  rest. 

In  BI,  on  the  other  hand,  as  in  LD,  the  three,  far  from  being 
robbers  bent  on  plunder,  are  the  companion  knights  of  Bliobli^ris  (in 
LD,  WilUam's  nephews),  and  attack  BI  solely  to  avenge  their  friend's 
disgrace.  Yet  by  a  slip  Renaud  calls  them  "  robbers  "  ("  Vinrent 
poingnant  li  rob^or,"  991),  showing  that  he  had  Chretien's  poem  in 
mind  when  writing  this  passage. 

(if)  The  descriptions  of  the  fight  with  the  first  knight  in  the 
two  poems  show  verbal  agreement.  Cf.,  e.g.,  E.,  2861-74,  with  BI 
1082-97. 

(/)   In  Erec  the  result  is  told  as  follows  : 

L'lin  an  a  mort,  Fautre  navrd, 

Et  del  tierz  s'est  si  delivre 

Qu'a  pie  Pa  jus  del  destrier  mis.     (2905  ff.) 

This  is  exactly  the  result  in  BI,  where  Willaume  de  Salebrant  is 
killed,  Helin  de  Graies  wounded,  and  Le  Sire  des  Aies  unhorsed 
and  obhged  to  submit.  (See  1097,  1119, 1152  ff.)  In  LD  none  are 
killed.     On  the  contrary,  all  are  forced  to  go  to  Arthur. 

Quant  cil  le  vit  vers  lui  venir. 

Si  s'an  coman^a  a  foi'r.     (E.,  2S89-90.) 


with 


Robers  les  vit  vers  lui  venir ; 

Si  s'en  commen^a  a  fu'ir.     (BI,  965-6.) 


{h)  In  Erec  the  horse  of  the  first  of  the  robbers  is  described  as 
"  blans  "  :  —  "  Li  premiers  fu  blans  come  lez  "  (291 1). 

In  BI  we  seem  to  have  a  curious  reminiscence  of  this,  for  there 
the  first  of  the  three  companions  is  E/ins  li  blans.  Indeed,  it  is 
possible  that  it  was  the  use  of  this  adjective  in  Erec  which  suggested 
to  Renaud  the  introduction  of  this  particular  name,  which  could 
not  have  been  in  the  original,  but  which  occurs  elsewhere  in  the 
romances  of  chivalry.^ 

(/)  The  part  Enide  and  Hdlie  play  in  the  two  adventures  is  very 


^  Cf.,  e.g.,  the  Prose  Romance  of   Tristan,  cd.  Loscth,  p.  283   (sgs"),  and 
P-  351- 


Ii6  W.   //.   Schofiild. 

similar,  and  diflcrs  much  from  that  played  by  Elene  in  LD.     Enide 
is  in  great  distress  lest  ICrcc  should  suffer  mishap. 

Enide  vit  les  robcors 

Mout  Tan  est  prise  granz  peors.     (2831-2.) 

So  in  BI,  Ht^lie  is  the  centre  of  the  excitement.  It  is  she  who 
pleads  earnestly  that  BI  be  allowed  to  arm,  and  declares  that  it  is 
not  fair  for  three  men  to  attack  one. 

7.  One  curious  agreement  of  Erec  with  LD  should  be  noted  here. 
In  Erec  after  all  are  conquered,  we  read  : 

Toz  trois  an  a  les  chevaus  pris 

Ses  loie  par  les  frains  ansanble.     (2908-9.) 

In  LD  after  the  first  is  wounded, 

t>e  dwerj  Teodolein 

Tok  he  stede  be  J'C  raine  (508-9) 

and  rode  away  with  it  to  Elene.     In  BI  this  feature  is  not  brought  in 
in  this  connection.     It  is  after  the  fight  with  Bliobli^ris  that  we  read  : 

Robers  avait  pris  le  destrier 

Qui  ert  a  I'autre  chevalier ; 

A  son  signor  tantost  le  maine.     (505  if.) 

This  seems  to  indicate  that  in  this  point  in  which  LD  and  BI 
differ,  LD  is  nearer  the  original.^ 

8.  The  adventure  with  the  sparrow-hawk  will  be  treated  in  a  sep- 
arate section.  It  is  well  to  compare  here,  however,  two  long  passages 
which  are  identical  in  spirit  and  substance,  and  show  marked  verbal 
agreement  as  well.     There  is  no  similar  passage  in  LD.     In  BI  we 

read : 

Vers  le  cort  vont,  et  Margerie 
Tot  droit  vers  Tesprevier  le  guie. 
Grant  gent  le  vont  aprcs  sivant, 
Chevalier,  borjois  et  sergant ; 

^  Erec  agrees  with  BI,  (i)  in  their  coming  separately,  (2)  in  the  course  of  the 
fight,  and  (3)  in  the  result;  with  LD  in  (i)  LD's  being  ready  and  riding  at  once 
against  them,  (2)  the  taking  of  the  horses,  and  (3)  the  fear  of  the  third  knight 
when  the  other  two  are  slain.  These  features  in  LD  may  have  been  taken  from 
Erec  by  the  author  of  the  original  of  LD  and  BI,  or  they  may  be  merely  acci- 
dental agreements  with  Chretien's  poem.  The  former  view  is  the  more  probable; 
but  in  themselves  they  are  of  no  importance. 


and  in  Erec 


Studies  on  the  Libemts  Desconus.  ii/ 

Dames  et  puceles  issoient 

De  lor  ouvrois  et  demandoient 

Del  chevalier,  qui  il  estoit, 

Qui  Tesprevier  querre  venoit. 

Pluisor  respondent :  '  Ne  savons. 

Mais  itant  dire  nos  poons 

Que  ses  elmes  est  effondrds ; 

Bien  pert  qu'il  a  este  portds. 

Maint  chevalier  i  ont  feru! 

Tot  est  effondres  son  escu ; 

De  cols  d'espees  est  orlds, 

Et  ses  haubers  est  desclocfs,' 

Ce  dist  cascuns  :  '  sans  devinaille, 

II  est  bons  chevaliers,  sans  faille. 

Ha  Dius!  qui  sont  ces  damoiseles 

Qu'il  maine  o  lui,  qui  tant  sont  bales? '     (1642  fF.) 


Apres  lui  ot  grant  bruit  de  jant.    ' 
Li  chevalier  et  li  serjant 
Et  les  dames  corent  aprds 
Et  les  puceles  a  esles. 

Mout  chevauche  orguelleusemant 

Vers  I'esprevier  isnelemant.     (789-96.) 

'  Qui  est,  qui  est  cil  chevaliers  ? 

Mout  doit  estre  hardiz  et  fiers 

Qui  la  bele  pucele  an  mainne.'     (753  fF.) 

Et  mainz  an  i  ot  qui  disoient : 

'Deus!  qui  puet  cil  chevaliers  estre, 

Qui  la  bele  pucele  adestre  ? ' 

'  Ne  sai.'  — '  Ne  sai,'  ce  dist  chascuns.     (762  fF.) 

Mes  mout  a  cos  an  son  escu, 

Ses  haubers  est  ansanglantez, 

Mout  est  hurtez  et  debatuz ; 

Bien  i  pert  qu'il  s'est  conbatuz. 

Savoir  poons  sanz  nule  faille. 

Que  fiere  a  este  la  bataille.     (1150-60.) 

9.  In  Erec  the  feature  of  the  head-crowned  stakes  is  found  in  the 
description  of  the  orchard  in  which  the  adventure  called  La  Joie  de 
la  Cort  took  place  (5774  ff.).     This  is  a  magic  orchard  surrounded 


lis  jr.   H.   Schoficld. 

by  an  invisible  air  wall,  which  barred  passage.  It  is  possible  that 
this  feature  was  transferred  in  BI  to  the  lie  d'Or  because  of  the 
similarity  of  the  place,  inhabited  as  it  is  by  an  enchantress,  and 
surrounded,  as  we  find  later,  by  a  wonderful  orchard.  In  LD  it  is 
part  of  the  description  of  the  castle  of  Giffroun,  the  owner  of  the 
sparrow-hawk,  and  it  looks  as  if  this  were  a  shift  on  the  part  of 
the  English  author  for  reasons  of  his  own.     (See  p.  i68.) 

In  Erec  there  are  many  pointed  lances,  on  all  but  one  of  which 
is  the  armed  head  of  a  knight,  and  on  this  one  hangs  a  horn.  This 
is  to  be  blown  when  the  knight  who  dwells  in  the  orchard  is  over- 
come, and  he  who  succeeds  in  this  adventure  will  be  honored  by  all. 
As  soon  as  the  empty  lance  is  covered,  a  new  one  regularly  appears. 

The  following  passages  in  Erec  and  BI  should  be  compared  : 

Car  devant  aus  sor  peus  aguz 
Avoit  hiaumes  luisanz  et  clers, 
Et  s'avoit  dessoz  les  carders 
Teste  d'orae  dessoz  chascun.     (E.,  5780  fF.) 
and 

Mult  bien  faite  de  pels  agus, 

Aguisies  desos  et  desus. 

En  cascun  pel  ficie  avoit 

Une  teste,  c'armde  estoit ; 

Cascune  avoit  Telme  lacie, 

Qui  ens  el  pel  estoit  ficie.     (BI,  1941  ff.) 

10.  The  reception  of  BI  at  the  castle  of  the  He  d'Or,  after  he  has 
slain  the  knight,  resembles  that  of  Erec  and  Enide,  the  newly  wedded 
pair,  after  they  have  taken  leave  of  the  king  and  returned  to  Erec's 
home. 

In  Erec  they  come  to 

un  chastel  de  grant  delit. 
Onques  nus  niiauz  seant  ne  vit.     (2317-8.) 
InBI 

II  esgarde,  voit  i  castel ; 

Onques  nus  horn  ne  vit  si  bel. 

Moult  fu  11  castels  bien  asis.     (1859  ff.) 

In  Erec  we  read  further  : 

Tote  la  janz  est  aiinee 
Por  veoir  lor  novel  seignor. 
Einz  nus  ne  vit  joie  greignor 


Studies  on  the  Libemis  Descomis.  119 

Que  feisoient  jeune  et  chenu. 
Premiers  sont  au  mostier  venu, 
La  furent  par  devocion 
Receii  a  procession. 

A  tant  fors  del  mostier  s'an  vont, 

El  palds  real  venu  sont ; 

La  coman9a  la  joie  granz.     (2370-87.) 

After  BI  has  slain  the  knight,  the  people  of  the  land  come  to  him 
and  declare  themselves  his  subjects.  ("  Vien  ton  roiaume  recevoir," 
2184.)     He  mounts  a  horse  they  bring  him. 

Or  Penmainent  vers  le  castel 

U  receus  fu  bien  et  bel 

A  crois  et  a  procession. 

Grant  joie  en  fisent  11  baron  ; 

El  grant  palais  le  ont  mend.     (2190  ff.) 

Par  la  vile  font  joie  grant 

Et  li  viellart  et  li  enfant.     (2289-90.) 

Renaud  probably  had  in  mind  also  the  description  of  the  corona- 
tion just  at  the  end  of  the  poem. 

Ancontr'aus  s'an  ist  tote  fors 

O  reliques  et  o  tresors 

La  processions  del  mostier. 

Croiz 

Lor  fu  a  Pancontre  fors  tret.     (E.,  6899-905.) 

II.    In  both  poems  all  are  eager  to  be  of  service. 
Cf. 

Onques  nus  rois  an  son  reaume 

Ne  fu  plus  lieemant  veiiz, 

N'a  greignor  joie  receiiz. 

Tuit  de  lui  servir  se  penerent. 

(E.,  2398  if. ;  cf.  2427  ff.) 


with 


Moult  font  le  valet  grant  honor. 

Trcstote  s'entente  et  s'amor 

A  mis  la  dame  en  lui  servir ; 

Car  faire  voloit  son  plaisir.     (BI,  2285  ff.) 


120  //;//.    Sc/ioficU. 

1 2.   Enide  is  spoken  of  here  as  follows  : 


Aussi  iert  Enide  plus  bele 

Que  nule  dame  ne  pucele 

Qui  fust  trovee  an  tot  le  monde, 

Qui  le  cerchast  a  la  reonde.     (E.,  2413  ff.) 

and  the  lady  of  the  He  d'Or  in  BI : 

Si  bele  riens  ne  fu  velie. 

Ceste  ne  trove  sa  parelle, 

Tant  estoit  bele  i  grant  mervelle. 

Que  plus  bel  vis,  ne  plus  bel  front, 
N'avoit  feme  qui  fust  el  mont.     (2197  ff.) 

13.  Both  Erec  and  BI  are  inclined  to  forget  their  serious  missions 
and  to  give  themselves  up  to  pleasure,  the  former  with  Enide,  the 
latter  with  the  fee. 

^^'  Tot  mist  son  cuer  et  s'antandue 

An  li  acoler  et  beisier.     (E.,  2440-41.) 
and 

Ains  le  commence  k  enbracier 

Entre  ses  bras  molt  docement.     (BI,  2358-9.) 

This  is  a  source  of  grief  to  their  companions,  and  in  both  cases  the 
heroes  are  prompted  to  start  off  again  in  quest  of  adventure. 

14.  A  word  seems  fitting  here  as  to  the  character  of  the  messen- 
ger. In  BI  it  is  considerably  altered,  and  certainly  not  always  for 
the  better,  Helie  is  a  very  inconsistent  creature.  At  first  she  scorns 
the  young  knight,  then  she  begs  him  to  go  back  for  fear  he  may  lose 
his  life,  and  says  it  would  be  a  pity  to  have  such  a  worthy  knight 
slain.  She  selfishly  tries  to  prevent  his  going  to  the  relief  of  the 
maiden  in  distress  in  the  wood,  because  it  would  be  uncomfortable 
for  her  if  anything  happened  to  him.  Soon,  however,  she  seizes  the 
dog  and  obstinately  refuses  to  give  it  up,  although  her  cause  is  mani- 
festly unjust  and  she  knows  that  BI  will  be  obliged  unwillingly  to  risk 
his  Hfe  to  satisfy  her  caprice.  She  leads  him  up  to  the  castle  of  the 
He  d'Or,  knowing  well  the  customs  of  the  place,  and  that  no  one, 
knight  or  king,  has  passed  for  five  years  without  being  slain,  and 
refrains  from  telling  the  young  knight  the  facts  until  he  has  got  him- 
self inextricably  entangled  in  the  snare. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Dcscojuis.  121 

Elene,  on  the  other  hand,  is  a  much  more  pleasing,  reasonable 
personage,  and  does  not  treat  LD  as  H^lie  treats  BI.  She  acknowl- 
edges him  to  be  a  brave  champion  of  her  own  accord,  while  H61ie 
has  reluctantly  to  be  urged  by  the  dwarf  to  make  this  confession. 
In  the  forest  scene  in  LD  we  have  Elene  praying  for  the  hero's 
safety,  but  never  objecting  in  any  way  to  his  going  to  the  help  of 
another  unfortunate  woman,  while  in  BI  H^lie  abuses  him  for  his 
desire  to  go.  Elene,  moreover,  always  takes  pleasure  in  telling  of 
the  brave  deeds  of  her  companion,  and  she  throughout  occupies  a 
suitably  modest  attitude  with  regard  to  him. 

There  is  one  other  important  place  in  which  the  contrast  is  sig- 
nificant. When  in  BI  they  draw  near  the  castle  of  the  steward  of 
the  enchanted  princess,  which  is  their  destination,  H^Ue  urges  BI 
strongly  not  to  go  near  the  place.  When  he  asks  if  they  had  not 
better  lodge  there,  she  replies  "  nenil  mie  :  De  la  aler  n'ai^s  envie  " 
(2491-2).  Suppose  he  had  taken  her  advice,  what  would  have 
happened  ?  In  the  English  poem,  however,  the  situation  is  different. 
The  messenger,  who,  up  to  this  time,  has  in  no  way  led  LD  into 
danger,  now  advises  him  to  go  to  the  castle.  She  knows  it  is  the 
place  towards  which  their  journey  has  been  directed  and  which  they 
must  enter,  and,  therefore,  although  she  tells  him  of  the  danger  he 
will  incur  from  a  fight  with  Lambard,  she  encourages  him  to  go  on. 

'■  Rid  in  to  l^e  castell  §ate 
And  axe  Hn  inn  I'er  ate, 

BoJ'C  faire  and  well.'     (1579  flf.) 

She  stimulates  him  also  by  saying  that,  if  he  fails,  he  will  ever  after  be 
known  as  a  coward. 

'And  hus  may  King  Arthour 

Lesen  his  honour 

For  hy  dedes  slowe.'     (1594  ff-) 

Indeed,  it  seems  as  if  she  told  him  that  the  rescuing  of  the  maiden 
depended  on  the  fight,  for  LD  rephes : 

'  To  do  Arthour  profit 
And  make  \>at  lady  quit, 

To  him  I  will  drive.'     (1600  flf.) 

This  account  is  exactly  what  we  should  expect.  That  in  BI 
appears  to  be  an  unfortunate  perversion.     It  looks  as  if  it  were  a 


\22  U:  J/.   Sc/iojlehf. 

reminiscence  of  the  inlluence  brought  to  bear  on  Erec  not  to  under- 
t.ike  Z</  Joie  dc  hi  Cor/,  which  adventure  has  unquestionably  influ- 
enced Renaud's  poem  in  many  other  features.'  Enide  calls  Erec's 
attention  to  everything,  as  does  Ht^lie  that  of  BI.  Elene,  on  the 
other  hantl,  resembles  the  messenger  in  Car.  and  Wig. 

15.  The  wliole  account  in  BI,  from  the  coming  to  the  castle  of 
Lampart  to  the  victory  over  the  magicians,  is  much  influenced  by 
similar  adventures  in  Erec. 

{a)  Erec,  being  healed  of  his  wounds,  leaves  Guivret  and  starts  off 
with  his  companion. 

^'*  Chevauchie  ont  des  le  matin 

Jusqu'au  vespre  le  droit  chemin.     (E.,  5367-8.) 
and 

Et  chevauchierent  bos  et  plains. 

Vers  le  gaste  citd  en  vont 

Basques  as  vespres  errd  ont.     (BI,  2468  ff.) 

{b)  In  each  case  they  come  to  a  beautiful  castle,  surrounded  by 
a  moat.  In  Erec  it  is  Brand-iganz,  in  BI,  Gal-igatis.  They  stop 
to  look  at  it,  and  the  young  knight  asks  his  companion  if  they  had 
not  better  spend  the  night  there,  but  is  warned  against  doing  so,  for 
the  customs  of  the  castle  are  such  that  any  knight  who  enters  is 
almost  sure  to  suffer  disgrace,  or  even  lose  his  life. 

C£ 

'  Deus ! '  dist  Erec,  .  .  . 

'  Et  si  ferons  nostre  ostel  prandre 

El  chaste!,  que  j'i  vuel  des^andre.' 

'  Sire! '  fet  oil  cui  mout  grevoit, 

'  Se  enuiier  ne  vos  devoit. 

Nos  nl  desgandriiemes  pas. 

El  chastel  a  un  mal  trespas.'     (E.,  5415  AT.) 


and 


Li  chevaliers  dist :  '  Que  ferons  ? 

Damoisele,  herbergerons 

En  cest  castel  ici  devant  ? ' 

Cele  respondit  maintenant : 

'  Sire,'  fait  ele,  '  nenil  mie. 

De  la  aler  n'aids  envie. 

Car  tant  en  ai  oi  parler 

Que  moult  i  fait  mauvais  aler.'     (BI,  2487  IF.) 

1  See  §  16,  below. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconns.  123 

{c)  Erec  and  BI  are  then  told  of  the  usage  of  the  castle.  In 
Erec  the  adventure  which  any  knight  who  seeks  to  remain  at  the 
castle  must  undertake,  is  called  La  Joie  de  la  Cort.  The  precise 
nature  of  this  adventure  is  explained  later ;  meanwhile  Erec's  com- 
panion tells  him  : 

'  Que  nus  chevaliers  de  haut  pris, 

(Ce  ai  o'i  dire  et  center) 

Ne  puet  an  cest  chaste!  antrer, 

Por  ce  que  herbergier  i  vuelle, 

Que  li  rois  Evrains  nel  recuelle. 

Tant  est  jantius  et  frans  li  rois 

Qu'il  a  fet  ban  a  ses  borjois, 

Si  chier  con  chascuns  a  son  cors 

Que  prodon  qui  vaingne  defers, 

An  lor  meisons  ostel  ne  truisse, 

Por  ce  que  il  meismes  puisse 

Toz  les  prodomes  enorer, 

Qui  leanz  voudront  demorer.'     (5480  fF.) 

BI  also  is  told  that  the  citizens  of  the  town  never  receive  any 
strange  knight.     The  lord  of  the  castle  alone  extends  hospitality. 

'  Un  usage  vos  en  dirai, 

Dou  castel  que  je  mouU  bien  sai. 

Li  borjois  qu'en  la  vile  sont 

Jk  homme  ne  herbergeront. 

Tot  herbergent  cis  le  signor ; 

Car  il  veut  faire  a  tos  honor.'     (2495  ff.) 

(^)  In  both  poems  after  they  enter  the  castle  and  ride  along  the 
streets,  they  are  the  centre  of  interest  of  the  whole  city.  The 
people  all  leave  off  their  work  to  follow  them  and  talk  about  them. 
In  Erec,  however,  they  all  admire  Erec  exceedingly  and  sympathize 
with  him,  for  they  fear  he  is  doomed  to  suffer ;  while  in  BI  they  point 
mockingly  at  the  hero  and  get  ready  to  shame  him.  This  difference 
is,  of  course,  due  to  the  different  conditions  of  the  encounter. 

Cf. 

Tuit  an  consoillent  et  parolent.     (E.,  5503.) 
with 

Tot  en  parolent  et  consellenl.     (BI,  2554.) 

{e')  In  both  cases  the  lord  of  the  castle  and  the  stranger  knight 
salute  each  other  while  the  latter  is  still  on  his  horse. 


124  ^y-  Jf-    ScJwficld. 

Cf. 

Li  rois  Evrains  anmi  la  rue 

Vint  ancontre  aus,  si  les  salue. 


with 


'  Bien  veigniez,  seignor!     Des^andez!'     (E.,  5547-51) 

Li  Desconndus  le  salue, 

De  son  ceval  ne  se  remue. 

Lanpars  respont,  come  afaitids  : 

<  Bials  sire,  fait-il,  bien  viegni^s.'     (BI,  2574  ff.) 

(/)  In  the  fight  which  follows,  Erec  and  his  opponent  have  lances 
of  the  same  description  as  BI  and  his. 

Cf. 

N'orent  mie  lances  menues, 
Einz  furent  grosses  et  quarrees.     (E.,  5940-1.) 
with 

Estes  vos  que  totes  les  [lances]  orent 
Grandes  et  roides  et  quarries.     (BI,  2613-4.) 

{£)  The  descriptions  of  the  fight  show  verbal  agreement  in  the 
two  poems.     Cf.  E.,  5943-60,  with  BI,  2663-71,  and  2628-35. 

{Ji)  In  the  descriptions  of  the  attendant  crowd  we  have  the  follow- 
ing parallel  lines : 

Et  [a]  grant  bruit  par  totes  les  rues  ; 
Car  les  granz  janz  et  les  menues  .  .  . 

(E.,  5703-4;  cf.  750.) 

Et  les  grans  gens  et  les  menues ; 

Plaines  en  sont  totes  les  rues.     (BI,  2650-1.) 

(/)  The  following  lines  also  occur  in  the  description  of  the  same 

conflict : 

Mout  sont  doillant  et  mout  sont  las  ; 

Ne  porquant  ne  recroient  pas.     (E.,  5979-80.) 

Moult  se  dolousent,  moult  sont  las, 

Ne  por  quant  ne  recroient  pas.     (BI,  3021-2.) 

16.  The  adventure  with  the  knight  in  the _/<?/<?  de  la  Cort^  in  Erec 
corresponds  markedly  with  that  of  BI  with  Mabon  and  Eurain. 


1  On  this  see  Paris  in  Rom.,  XX,  152  ff.     For  the  magic  garden,  see  Freymond, 
Livre  d^Artus,  in  Zt.  f.  franz.  Sprache  u.  Litt.,  XVII,  117,  n.  I,  where  other  ref- 


Sttidies  on  the  Libemis  Descon?is.  125 

{a)  It  follows  directly  the  one  just  described,  in  which  the  lord 
will  lodge  every  comer  himself. 

{I?)  The  place  where  the  knight (s)  is  (are),  is  under  the  influence 
of  magic. 

{c)  Every  one  fears  the  hero's  quest  will  be  fatal  to  himself.  No 
one  has  availed  before.  It  requires  one  of  unusual  powers  and 
exceeding  valor  to  accomplish  it. 

{d)  The  people  of  the  land  look  upon  the  place  as  the  cause  of 
great  sorrow  to  them,  and  hope  to  have  the  trouble  ended. 

((?)  They  all  sympathize  with  him  in  his  approaching  struggle ; 
some  accompany  him  part  of  the  way,  but  are  unable  to  go  farther. 
(On  their  way  in  Erec  they  pass  through  an  orchard.  In  BI  "  une 
forest  ont  a  passer,"  2750.)  They  recommend  him  to  God,  and  he 
them  (cf.  E.,  5868-9  and  BI,  2816-7). 

(/)  Before  he  leaves  the  knight  who  has  lodged  him,  the  latter 
tells  him  what  he  is  to  expect. 

{g)   He  has  to  go  well  armed  and  undergo  a  terrible  fight. 

{h)  A  solitary  woman  is  kept  in  the  place  who  is  (or,  being  trans- 
formed, becomes)  of  exceeding  beauty. 

(/)  After  the  hero  conquers  his  opponent,  he  receives  a  lengthy 
explanation  of  the  reason  of  the  enchantment. 

(/)  The  knight  who  guards  the  enchanted  place  is  in  Erec  called 
Mabonagrain.  Paris  has  noted  the  fact  that  there  are  many  com- 
pound Celtic  names  which  have  Mabon  for  the  first  part  and  a  second 
name  joined  to  the  first  by  ab  (=  the  son  of),^  and  has  suggested 
that  this  might  be  such  a  form  as  Mabon  ab  Grain  (?).  It  seems 
almost  certain  that  the  names  of  the  enchanters  in  LD  and  BI  are 
due  to  a  misunderstanding.  In  Car.,  and  in  nearly  all  the  traditional 
forms  of  this  feature  of  the  story  (as  an  examination  later  will  show), 

erences  will  be  found.  On  p.  107  of  the  last  named  article  we  read  of  a  garden 
surrounded  with  a  magic  air  wall  by  the  King  of  Denmark.  There  is  but  one 
passage  to  serve  as  inlet  and  outlet.  W.  Foerster  says  {Erec,  Inirod.,  p.  xv)  : 
"Die  'Joie  de  la  Corf  ist  plump  nachgeahmt  im  Meraugis  und  besonders  aus- 
fiihrlich  in  Rigomer.  Die  Luftmauer  des  Zaubergartens  findet  sich  T.  R.  IV,  240, 
vgl.  noch  ahnliches  im  3.  Band." 

1  For  example,  Alabon  ab  Detveugen,  Mahii  ab  Jllodron,  and  RIabon  ab  Mellt, 
which  are  to  be  found  in  the  index  to  the  Mabiiiogion  (see  Rofii.,  XX,  153,  n.  4). 
Mabonagrain  is  the  name  of  a  dwarf,  brother  of  Ilclys  de  Roestoc,  in  Version  P 
of  the  Livre  d'Ariiis,  cd.  I'rcymond,  p.  91.     There  is  also  Si  gue  Alabon,  ib.,  p.  46. 


126  //'.   //.  ScJioficld. 

there  is  but  one  enchanter.  If,  then,  we  suppose  him  to  be  originally 
called  Mabonagrain,  this  name  could  easily  have  become  divided, 
and  an  idea  could  have  arisen  that  there  were  really  two  enchanters, 
Mabon  and  I  rain.'  It  is  probable  that  the  author  of  the  original  of 
LD  and  BI  saw  the  name  in  Ercc  in  the  adventure  which  resembled 
the  one  he  was  describing,  and,  whether  by  mistake  or  intentionally, 
introduced  it  into  his  poem,  splitting  it  into  two  words,  and  thus 
making  two  enchanters  instead  of  one.  The  spelling  Eurain  in  BI 
is  easily  explained  :  when  Renaud  reverted  to  his  Erec,  he  saw  in 
the  line  following  the  name  Mabonagrain  (6348)  the  name  of  King 
Eurain,  and,  confusing  the  two,  he  calls  the  second  magician  Eurain; 
whereas  the  English  poem  preserves  a  more  natural  form,  Irain? 


^  My  friend  Dr.  F.  N.  Robinson  reminds  me  of  a  similar  explanation  by  Lipsius 
of  the  names  JCarinus  and  Leuticia  in  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  as  a  corrup- 
tion of  the  single  name  AeiJ/ctos  x«/''''os  (cf  Die  apocryphen  Apostelgeschichten  u, 
Apostellegeiiden,  I,  85-86).  The  division  into  two  names  would  suggest  itself  more 
readily,  if  the  author  of  the  original  of  LD  and  BI  knew  of  another  enchanter 
called  Mabon.  Such  a  person,  Mabon  le  noir,  is  mentioned  in  the  prose  Ti-istan, 
ed.  Loseth,  §  290  a,  where  he  is  represented  as  having  no  power  against  Erec  (!), 
"  a  qui  les  enchantements  ne  peuvent  nuire,  ^  cause  d'une  grace  dont  I'a  garni  sa 
mere  Ocise,  qui  s'entendait  aux  enchantements  mieux  qu'aucune  autre  dame  de  son 
epoque."  We  have  here  another  point  of  contact  with  the  Desc.  stories.  There, 
also,  the  wiles  of  the  enchanter  Mabon  have  no  effect  on  the  hero  because  of  the 
latter's  parentage.  The  conqueror  of  Mabon  in  LD  and  BI  had  to  be  a  son  of 
Gawein. 

2  Paris  was  near  the  truth  when  he  concluded  that  the  similarity  of  the  two 
names  in  BI  with  the  one  in  Erec,  and  the  likeness  of  the  adventure  with  the 
princess  in  BI  to  the  Joie  de  la  Cort,  indicated  "  quelque  lointaine  communaute 
de  source"  between  these  incidents  in  the  two  poems  (see  Rom.,  XX,  153,  n.  4). 
In  another  place  {Rom.,  XX,  156,  n.  2)  he  says  of  the  Joie  de  la  Cort:  "Peut- 
8tre  n'avons-nous  ici  qu'une  variante  etrangement  alteree  du  conte  qui  fait  1' epi- 
sode principal  du  Bel  Inconnu,  oii.  ...  les  deux  magiciens  qui  retiennent 
enchantee  la  future  epouse  de  Guinglain  s'appellent  Mabon  et  Evrain."  This 
may  be;  but  it  seems  clear  that,  as  regards  this  incident,  the  agreements  between 
the  Desc.  poems  and  Erec  are  due  to  a  borrowing  from  Erec  by  the  author  of 
the  original  Desc.  poem,  and  not  the  other  way.  In  all  probability  this  borrowing 
was  more  one  of  incident  than  language.  The  close  verbal  agreement  between 
BI  and  Erec  in  so  many  places  in  this  episode  is  certainly  due  to  Renaud,  who 
has  also  introduced  from  Chretien's  poem  other  features  of  the  adventure  as  told 
in  BI.  [The  whole  of  the  present  discussion  of  the  name  Mabonagrain  was  in 
tj'pe,  and  Dr.  .Schofield  had  left  the  country,  before  the  number  of  Romania  con- 


St  tidies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconiis.  127 

It  is  not  a  little  significant  in  this  connection  to  see  Renaud  write  : 
"Mabons  avoit  non  li  plus  sire"  (3321).  This  is  most  natural,  for 
he  was,  of  course,  always  mentioned  first  in  the  combined  name. 
Moreover,  we  see  that  the  doubling  of  the  enchanters  caused  the 
poet  difficulty.  The  reason  of  the  enchantment  of  the  princess 
originally  was  that  she  refused  to  marry  the  magician.  But  when 
there  became  two,  what  was  to  be  done  in  the  matter?  The  follow- 
ing passage  in  LD  explains  itself : 

To  det'e  hey  will  her  di^te, 
But  sche  graunte  hem  till, 
To  do  Maboiinis  wille 

And  jeve  him  all  her  rijt.     (1809  fif.) 

It  is  well  to  note  here '  that  the  probable  reason  for  the  intro- 
duction of  a  second  enchanter  is  found  in  the  fact  ^at  in  the 
original,  as  in  Car.,  the  one  magician  withdrew  in  the  midst  of  the 
fight  through  one  door  into  the  palace,  hoping  to  lure  the  hero  in, 
but,  failing  in  this,  reappeared  through  another.  The  author  of  the 
original  of  LD-BI  may  have  mistaken  these  two  appearances  of  the 
one  enchanter  for  a  single  coming  against  our  hero  of  two  different 
ones.  We  remember  also  that  the  English  poet,  probably  following 
his  original,  had  to  summon  devils  to  his  aid  to  get  rid  of  the  super- 
fluous Irain,  and  that  in  BI  the  latter  escaped  from  the  fight  and  was 
not  heard  of  again. 

{k)  When  the  victory  is  made  known,  there  is  great  rejoicing  in 
the  city  —  especially  from  the  hero's  three  companions. 

Cf. 

Mout  s'an  est  Enide  esjoie 

Quant  ele  la  voiz  antandi, 

Et  Guivrez  mout  s'an  esjoi. 

Liez  est  li  rois  et  sa  jaiiz  liee : 

N'i  a  un  seal  cui  mout  ne  siee 

Et  mout  ne  pleise  ceste  chose. 

Nus  n'i  cesse  ne  ne  repose 

De  joie  feire  et  de  ciTanter.     (E.,  6162  flf.) 

taining  F.  Lot's  interesting  conjectures  on  the  same  subject  (AW/.,  XXIV,  321-2) 
reached  America.     Lot  regards  Mabotiagrain  as  "  une  fusion  des  deux  noms 
juxtaposes  Alabon  et  Evrain." — Eds.'\ 
^  Cf.  Mennung,  p.  49. 


128  //^  //.   Schofidd, 


with 


Grant  joic  font  et  cil  et  ccle, 

Si  santrebeiscnt  et  acolent.     (6356-7.) 

Tot  III  venoient  en  riant. 

Sacids  que  lor  ot  joie  grant, 

Quant  tot  ensanble  11  s'entrevirent ; 

De  moult  bon  cuer  se  conjoirent. 

L'uns  acole  I'autre  et  enbrace ; 

N"i  a  celui  joie  ne  face.     (BI,  3396  ff.) 

(/)  The  young  knight  is  then  speedily  disarmed  by  the  people, 
who  run  up  to  him, 

Cf. 

Trestoz  li  pueples  i  acort 

D'Erec  desarmer  s'aprestoient.     (E.,  6180-4.) 
with 

Por  Giglain  desarmer  corurent, 

Si  le  desarment  en  la  place.     (BI,  3407-8.) 

(;//)   In  both  poems  the  barons   and   people  gather  in  a  great 
assembly  when  they  learn  the  joyful  tidings. 

Cf. 

Furent  assanbld  li  baron 

De  tot  le  pais  anviron, 

Et  tuit  cil  qui  la  joie  sorent 

I  vindrent,  qui  venir  i  porent ; 

Granz  fu  Passanblee  et  la  presse. 

Chascuns  d'Erec  veoir  s'angresse, 

Et  haut  et  bas,  et  povre  et  riche.     (E.,  6365  ff.) 


with 


Comment  de  Galles  li  baron 
Et  11  evesque  et  li  abe 
Et  tot  li  prince,  et  li  casd, 
Vinrent,  quant  sorent  la  novele 

Puis  n'i  ot  nule  retenue, 

Que  tot  ne  venissent  k  cort, 

Por  la  grant  joie  qui  lor  sort. 

Tot  li  palais  vint  cele  part, 

Petis  et  grans,  moult  lor  est  tart, 

Qu'il  aient  lor  dame  vdue 

Moult  i  est  grans  lies  meue.     (BI,  3431-43.) 


Studies  on  the  Li  beans  Descoims,  129 

(«)  There  is  music  and  singing  in  token  of  their  joy.  Cf.  E., 
6380  ff.,  and  BI,  3447. 

io)   But  each  author  declares  he  wishes  to  tell  the  events  briefly. 

Cf. 

Mes  je  le  vos  vuel  assomer 

Briemant,  sans  trop  longue  demore.     (E.,  6386-7.) 
with 

Dorenavant  vos  vuel  conter 

Briement,  sans  trop  longue  raison.     (BI,  3429-30.) 

(/)  Erec  and  Enide  go  to  Arthur  directly  after  this  adventure, 
and  are  heartily  welcomed  at  court.  So  do  LD  and  Elena ;  so  does 
Blonde  Esmerde,  although  she  is  not  accompanied  by  BI,  as  she 
should  have  been, 

1 7.  When  Giglain,  after  all  his  painful  waiting  and  longing,  receives 
a  message  from  the  fee  of  the  He  d'Or  to  come  to  her,  his  spirits 
revive,  and  he  starts  off  at  once.  On  the  way,  the  messenger  leads 
him  through  a  magnificent  orchard.  Such  an  one  could  not  be  seen 
elsewhere.  All  sorts  of  trees  and  herbs  are  to  be  found  there  in 
abundance.  The  birds  keep  up  a  constant  song,  and  spices  and 
flowers  fill  the  air  with  sweet  odors.  Renaud  doubtless  had  this 
addition  suggested  to  him  by  the  account  of  the  similar  orchard  in 
Erec,  which  the  knight  has  to  traverse  before  he  reaches  the  dwelling 
of  Mabonagrain. 

*^^-  Li  rois  fors  del  chastel  le  mainne 

An  un  vergier  qui  estoit  pres.     (E.,  5730-1.) 
with 

Si  se  sont  d'autre  part  issu, 

Parmi  un  huis  en  un  vergier.     (BI,  4204-5.) 

Cf.  also  Erec,  5755  ff. : 

Ne  soz  ciel  n'a  oisel  volant, 
Qui  pleise  a  home,  qui  n'i  chant, 
Por  lui  deduire  et  resjoir, 
Plusors  de  chascune  nature. 


with  BI,  4238  fl".  : 


Tos  jors  1  avoit  oris  d'osials, 
De  calendres  et  d'orials, 
De  merles  et  de  lorsingnals ; 
Et  d'autres  dont  i  ot  asds, 
Ne  jk  lor  cans  ne  fust  lassds. 


I30  Ji:   11.   Schofield. 

and  Erec,  5760  fl".  : 

Et  terre,  taut  com  elc  dure, 

Ne  porte  espice  ne  racine 

Qui  vaille  a  nule  niedecine, 

Que  Tan  n"an  i  eust  plant<5, 

S'an  i  avoit  a  grant  plantd. 
with  BI,  4229  ff.  : 

Dius  ne  fist  herbe  de  bontd 

Que  el  vergier  n'dust  plantd 

De  ce  ot  ascs  el  gardins. 

Both  orchards  are  surrounded  by  a  wall.  In  Erec  it  is  invisible, 
but  none  the  less  impassable. 

1 8.  In  describing  the  castle  of  the  He  d'Or,  on  BI's  return  to  it, 
Renaud  reverts  to  the  description  of  Brandigan  in  Ei-ec. 

Cf. 

Chevauchic  ont  des  le  matin 

Jusqu'au  vespre  le  droit  chemin 

Plus  de  trante  liues  galesches, 

Et  vienent  devant  les  bretesches 

D"un  chaste!  fort  et  riche  et  bel, 

Clos  tot  antor  de  mur  novel ; 

Et  par  dessoz  a  la  reonde 

Coroit  une  eve  mout  parfonde.     (E.,  5367  ff.) 

Brandiganz  a  non  li  chastiaus, 

Qui  tant  par  est  et  forz  et  biaus 

Que  roi  n'anpereor  ne  dote. 

Se  France  et  Angleterre  tote, 

Et  tuit  cil  qui  sont  jusqu'au  Liege, 

Estoient  anviron  a  siege, 

Nel  prandroient  il  an  lor  vies.     (E.,  5389  fF.) 


^vith 


Cevaucie  ont  des  la  joinde, 
De  si  que  vint  a  la  vespree, 
Plus  de  XXX  liues  galesces  ; 
Tant  qu'il  vont  devant  les  bretesces 
De  rile  d'Or,  le  bon  castel, 
Dont  li  mur  sont  et  fort  et  bel. 
Mouh  fu  li  castials  bons  et  fors. 
Se  cil  qui  sont  desqu'a  Limors  ^ 


1  This  name  floes  not  occur  in  LD.     It  also  is  taken  from  Erec,  4717. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus.  13 1 

I  fuissent  a  siege  xxx  ans 

N'enterroient-il  pas  dedans. 

Moult  estoit  bials  a  demesure.     (BI,  3882  ff.) 

Tot  entor  coroit  la  marine.     (3900.) 

19.  Renaud  seems  also  to  have  got  the  hint  of  the  description  of 
the  beautiful  room  in  the  He  d'Or  from  the  account  of  the  castle  of 
Brandigan  in  Erec. 

Cf.  Une  chanbre  fist  an^anser 

D'an9ans,  de  myrre  et  d'aloe. 

An  la  chanbre  antrent  main  a  main, 

Mes  por  quoi  vos  deviseroie 

Les  peintures,  les  dras  de  sole, 

Don  la  chanbre  estoit  anbelie? 

Le  tans  gasteroie  an  folie, 

Ne  je  ne  le  vuel  pas  gaster, 

Ein9ois  me  vuel  un  po  haster.     (E.,  5564  fF.) 

with 

Et  adonc  par  le  main  le  prist. 

Atant  par  le  canbre  s'en  vont ; 
Tres  parmi  Puis  trove  il  Pont. 
Quant  en  la  canbre  entre  sont, 
Tot  maintenant  trove  i  ont, 
Une  si  tres  douce  flairor, 
Dent  ases  mius  valoit  Todor 
K'encens,  ne  petre,  ne  canele ; 

La  canbre  sanbloit  paradis. 

Asds  i  ot  argent  et  or, 

De  tos  biens  i  ot  grant  tresor. 

Parde  fu  de  dras  de  soie 

De  mult  cier  pris.     Que  vos  diroie? 

Mais  moult  en  i  ot  de  divers, 

Mais  por  sa  grant  joie  center, 

Que  moult  en  avoit  grant  mestier, 

Ne  le  vuel  entendre  et  descrire ; 

Que  trop  me  costeroit  k  dire.     (BI,  4642-86.) 

Renaud  here  adopted  the  incident  of  their  entering  the  chamber 
hand  in  hand,  the  incense  with  which  the  room  is  filled,  its  beautiful 


1^2  jr.  //.  sc/,ojh-/d. 

embellishments  "  les  peinturcs,  Ics  dras  de  sole,"  all  of  which  are 
found  in  the  Erec  passage.  We  also  find  Chrt^tien's  plea  that  he 
cannot  linger  longer  over  the  description  ;  he  must  hurry  on.  The 
only  diflerence  is  that,  despite  his  protestations,  Renaud  does  describe 
at  length,  elaborating  the  ideas  he  got  from  Chretien.  The  latter 
gives  the  headings  which  Renaud  fills  out.  We  may  note  also  that 
not  even  the  additions  are  his  own,  but  are  borrowed  from  other 
parts  of  Ercc.     Cf.  E.,  6876  ff.  and  BI,  4675  ff. 

20.  It  is  also  from  this  passage  that  Renaud  takes  the  lines 
descriptive  of  the  torrent  over  which  BI  finds  himself  in  the 
night. 

Cf. 

Coroit  una  eve  mout  parfonde, 
Lee  et  bruianz  come  tanpeste.     (E.,  5374-5.) 
with 

Una  grant  iaugue  sos  avoit. 

Rude  et  bruiant  plus  que  tempeste.     (BI,  4468-9.) 

It  is  then  perfectly  clear  that  Renaud  has  made  wholesale  use  of 
Erec,  and  that  its  influence  is  constant  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end  of  his  poem.  From  it  he  has  taken  hundreds  of  lines,  from  it 
he  has  borrowed  many  new  features.  He  was,  however,  very  skilful 
in  his  borrowings,  and  the  most  striking  parallels  are  not  in  passages 
which  deal  with  the  same  incidents  in  the  two  poems.  It  is,  more- 
over, not  unusual  to  have  two  passages  following  each  other  directly 
in  BI  clearly  taken  from  passages  in  E7-ec  some  two  or  three  thou- 
sand lines  apart.  Renaud  must  have  known  the  Erec  almost  by 
heart,  and  he  introduced  Chretien's  characteristic  turns  of  expression 
and  his  method  of  treating  his  subjects,  whenever  an  opportunity 
offered.  Not  unconsciously,  however,  for  he  seems  to  have  done  his 
borrowing  deliberately,  and  frequently  passages  are  found  in  which 
Renaud  has  changed  only  the  rhyming  word  —  apparently  with  the 
idea  of  concealing  his  obligations.  He  tried  to  be  original,  and  to 
cover  up  his  footsteps  ;  and,  indeed,  we  cannot  withhold  from  him  a 
due  share  of  praise  for  the  skilful  way  in  which  he  has  worked  over 
his  narrative.  He  entered  into  the  spirit  of  his  master  with  won- 
derful ease,  and  wove  Chretien's  ideas  so  naturally  into  his  own  com- 
position that,  although  it  has  long  been  known  that  he  was  indebted 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconns.  133 

to  Chretien  for  some  features  of  the  poem,  the  extent  of  his  borrow- 
ings has  escaped  the  notice  of  scholars.^ 

Mennung  has  already  pointed  out  -  several  of  the  episodes  in  the 
LD-BI  group  which  are  taken  from  the  Erec.  These  are,  in  his 
opinion  :  (i)  the  fight  with  the  three  robbers  ;  (2)  the  sparrow-hawk 
adventure ;  (3)  the  recognition  scene  between  H^lie  and  Margerie ; 
(4)  the  heads  on  stakes  ;  (5)  the  knight  who  will  joust  with  all  who 
come  to  his  castle.  He  thinks,  moreover,  that  the  fight  with  the 
giants  was  taken  from  Erec,  —  an  idea  which  Paris  has  shown  to  be 
improbable  (p.  152).  As  to  No.  3,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  this 
was  introduced  first  by  Renaud,  although  one  cannot  be  certain  in 
the  matter,  inasmuch  as  LD  omits  the  character  of  Margerie  alto- 
gether. The  other  features  (Nos.  i,  2,  4,  5  above)  were  certainly  in 
the  original  of  LD  and  BI,  and  were  doubtless  borrowed  from  Erec. 
In  this  same  version  there  were  probably,  however,  more  features 
taken  from  Erec  than  Mennung  supposes,  e.g.  the  Mabonagrain  epi- 
sode (see  pp.  126  f.). 

Of  course  the  objection  may  be  raised  that  if  there  was  borrowing 
from  Erec  by  the  author  of  the  original  of  LD  and  BI,  then  the  pas- 
sages which  I  have  maintained  were  taken  by  Renaud  from  Erec 
might  be  regarded  as  borrowings  on  the  part  of  the  author  of  Renaud's 
original.  This  possibility,  however,  becomes  smaller  and  smaller  the 
more  it  is  considered.  Doubtless  there  were  some  verbal  agree- 
ments between  Erec  and  the  original  of  LD-BI  in  those  features 
which  they  had  in  common ;  but  anything  like  the  extended  agree- 
ment which  exists  now  between  Erec  and  BI  is  not  to  be  thought  of. 
This  will  be  clear  if  we  remember  that  the  borrowings  in  BI  are  not 
limited  to  the  adventures  which  Renaud's  poem  has  in  common  with 
Erec,  but  are  found  from  the  very  beginning  to  the  very  end  of  the 
book,  some  of  the  most  striking  parallels  being  in  parts  which  in 
general  are  entirely  unlike  in  BI  and  Erec,  and  many  being  in  the 
second  half  of  BI,  which  is  certainly  Renaud's  own  addition.  More- 
over, the  English  poem  shows  practically  no  trace  of  these  borrow- 
ings.    Most  of  the  verbal  agreements  between  LD  and  BI  have  been 


1  Renaud  does  not  hesitate  to  repeat  himself.  Cf.,  for  example,  the  fight 
between  BI  and  Bliolilieris,  and  that  between  BI  and  the  enchanter  (451  ff., 
3006  ff.). 

^  Der  Bel  Inconnu,  p.  49. 


134 


jr.   11.   Schofu-U. 


pointed  out  by  Kolbing,'  and  they  arc  altogether  too  slight  to  inter- 
fere in  any  way  witli  my  argument. 

Before  leaving  this  part  of  our  subject  I  would  call  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  following  42  names  seem  to  be  common  to  BI  and  Erec^ 
but  are  not  found  in  LD  (except  perhaps  in  the  case  oi  fius  Do). 


Apiiztins,  li  rois  li'Escoce.  BI,  5372; 

E.,  1970. 
Amangotis.  5452;    E.,  1726. 
Ares.  42;   E.,  15 28. 
Bans  de  Gomertel.  5737;    E.,  1975. 
BcJiiiers.di;   E.,  1735. 
BHoblicris.  ^y,   E.,  1714. 
Breton.  5695;   E.,  652. 
Brtiians  des  files.  5454;   E.,  6730. 
Caraes.  41 ;    E.,  1727. 
Car  ados.  44;   E.,  1719. 
Cadoalens.  5657;   E.,  315. 
Cadoc.  5694;   E.,  4515. 
Cornouaille.  1844;    E.,  6647. 
Do  (Gifles  li  fius).  1789;   E.,  1729. 
Erec.  39;   E.,  19. 
Escoce  (see  Aguizans). 
Eineposterne.  5424;    E.,  1952. 
Gales  li  cals.  6020,  41 ;    E.,  1726. 
Gandelus.  5432;   E.,  1701. 
Gatiditis.  5444;    E.,  2227. 
Gorhout.  5434;   E.,  1695. 
Germans.    5434;     E.,     1695    (Gorne- 

manz) . 


Grahelens  de  Eineposterne.^  5424;    E. , 

1952  (Graislemiers  de  F.). 
Giiingamer  (ses  frere).  5426;  E.,  1954. 
Guivres.  5388;   E.,  4951. 
Gringars  {Ox\gox2&  ?).*  173;    E.,  2005. 
Cil  de  la  Hatite  Montaigne.  5418;   E., 

1939- 
Ken,  le  seneschal.  5574;    E.,  1739. 
Li  Lais  Hardis  {de  Cornuaille).  5394; 

E.,  1697. 
Los.  zy,  E.,  1737. 
Limors.  3889;   E.,  6495. 
Meliatis  de  Lis.  ^42>S'>   £.,1698. 
Orguilloiis  de  la  Lande.  1472 ;  E.,  21 75. 
Parcevals  le  Galois.  5406;    E. ,  1526. 
Li  rois  de  la  Roge  Cite.  5386;   E.,  2192. 
Sagremors.  5905;    E.,  1733. 
Tors,  li  fius  le  rois  Ares  {Atels).  42 

(5487);   E.,  1728. 
Tristans.  5488;   E.,  1713. 
Truerein.  5420;   E.,  1941  (Treverain). 
Tintaguel.  51 ;   E.,  1959. 
Uriens.  T,y,   E.,  1706. 
Ydes.  5460;   E.,  1724  (Yders). 


It  is  well  also  to  examine  to  some  extent  the  names  of  those  per- 
sons called  differently  in  the  two  poems,  LD  and  BI. 


1  In  E7igl.  Studien,  I,  1 21-169. 

2  Cf.  Paris,  Hist.  Litt.,  XXX,  118:  "La  plupart  des  noms  qui  y  figurent  ne 
sont  pour  nous  que  des  noms :  au  poete  et  'k  ses  auditeurs  ils  rappelaient  les 
aventures  des  heros  qui  les  portaient."  The  names  in  the  accompanying  list  are 
spelt  as  in  BI.     Only  one  of  the  places  where  each  name  occurs  is  usually  given. 

'^  Cf.  Zimmer,  Zt.  f.  frayiz.  Sprache  u.  Litt.,  XIII,  i  ff.  BI  should  have  no 
influence  in  settling  the  form. 

*  Cf.  the  name  of  King  Grigorz  (with  long  t)  in  Wolfram,  Parzival,  iv,  926. 
Cf.  Perc,  8480. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconus,  135 

1.  William  Salebraunche  is  the  name  in  LD  of  the  first  knight 
whom  the  hero  encounters.  Of  the  three  avengers  only  one  has  a 
name  :  the  eldest  is  called  Sir  Gower.  In  BI  the  knight  is  called 
Blioblieris,  the  three  avengers  : 

Elins  li  blans,  sires  de  Graies 

Et  li  bons  chevaliers  des  Aies  ^ 

Et  Willaume  de  Salebrant.     (521  ff.) 

The  only  name  common  to  both  is  JVilliam  Salebrant  (Sale- 
braunche). Sir  Goivcr  is  probably  an  addition  of  the  English  poet. 
In  the  original,  as  in  Erec,  probably  none  of  the  avengers  were 
named,  and  William  Salebrant  was  doubtless  the  name  of  the  first 
knight,  as  in  LD.  The  name  Blioblieris"  is  in  Erec,  and  Renaud 
perhaps  had  one  other  name  suggested  by  the  Erec  passage^  (see 
above,  p.  115). 

2.  The  maid  rescued  from  the  giants  in  LD  gives  her  name  as 
Violette,  and  that  of  her  father  as  Sir  Antore}  In  BI  she  says  it  is 
Clarie,  and  that  of  her  brother  Saigremor.  Here  we  have  nothing  to 
guide  us  to  the  original  names.  It  is  possible  that  the  original  story 
did  not  give  any  special  names  to  either  the  maiden  or  her  father 


1  I  adopt  this  reading  in  accordance  with  the  suggestion  made  by  Seiffert  in  his 
Navtenbuch  zu  den  altfranz.  Artusepen,  Part  I,  Greifswald,  1882,  p.  42. 

2  It  is  of  frequent  occurrence.  See  Heinzel,  Ueber  die  franz.  Gralromane^  in 
the  Denkschriften  der  Wiener  Akad.,  XL,  1892,  Part  III,  p.  80,  note.  Cf.  Frey- 
mond,  I.e.,  pp.  81,  116. 

3  It  is  curious  to  note  the  following  passage  in  the  spurious  introfluction  to 
Perceval  li  Galois,  ed.  Potvin,  I,  7,  which,  if  we  put  the  name  of  the  son  for  the 
father,  would  describe  the  adventure  in  BI. 

Li  premiers  chevaliers  conquis 
Ot  h.  nom  Blihos  Bliheris; 
Sel  conquist  mesire  Gauwains, 
Par  grant  proece  dont  ert  plains; 
Au  roi  Artu  I'envoia  rendre; 
Cil  monta,  ains  n'i  vot  atendre, 
Tresqu'h.  la  cort  si  fu  rendus. 

*  In  Version  P  of  the  Livre  d'Arius,  ed.  Freymond,  p.  63,  alongside  the  story 
of  the  love  of  Gawain  and  Florie,  we  read :  "  Claudas  wird  von  An/or  [brother 
of  Ban  and  Bohor]  besiegt  und  scin  Land  wird  verwiistet.  Claudas  zieiit  mit 
einem  neuen  Heer  vor  die  Stadt  Trebes,  wo  sich  die  Konigin  Helaine  befand." 


136  U:   II.   ScJioficId. 

(brother);  but  we  may  note  that,  (i)  the  names  in  LD  have  a 
French  form,  and  arc  not  the  sort  the  luigUsh  poet  would  be  Hkely 
to  make  up ;  (j)  it  is  more  probable  that  the  maiden  would  give  the 
name  of  her  fiithcr  than  brother,  and  (3)  Saigrcmors  is  found  in 

^'■'•'■»  1733- 

3.  In  LD  the  owner  of  the  dog  is  called  Sir  Otes  de  Lilc ;  in  BI, 
Orguilloui  de  la  Lande.  Here  again  we  note  that  the  former  is 
obviously  a  French  name,^  and  the  latter  is  in  Ercc,  2175. 

4.  The  lady  of  the  He  d'Or  is  in  LD  called  La  dame  d^ Amour, 
which  would  not  be  a  word  invented  by  the  English  author,-  and  was 
almost  surely  in  his  original.  It  suggests  clearly  the  seductive  char- 
acter she  must  have  had  at  first  (see  pp.  197  ff.).  In  BI  we  find  her 
called  ia^ucele  {dame)  as  blatices  mains,  and  we  remember  that  the 
most  beautiful  woman  in  Erec  was  also  called  la  pucele  au  chainse 
blanc.  Of  course  the  latter  appellation  would  not  be  suitable  in  BI ; 
but  the  idea  of  calling  the  fee  always  by  a  name  made  up  from  a 
peculiar  feature  of  her  dress  or  appearance  still  lingers.  The  expres- 
sion used  in  BI  was  very  common,^  and  would  naturally  suggest  itself. 

5.  The  knight  who  defends  the  sparrow-hawk  is  called  in  LD 
Giffroun  or  Giffroun  le  fludiis,  in  BI,  Gifles  li  fins  Do.  Some  have 
regarded  these  names  as  identical,  and  le  fliidus  is  generally  con- 
sidered a  corruption  of  //  fitis  Do.  We  have,  however,  another 
character  in  LD  called  Gifflet.  Gi{r)fies  li  Jius  Do  was  a  well-known 
personage,  and  the  name  is  in  Erec  (1729).  It  is  just  possible  that 
Renaud,  dropping  out  the  character  of  Gifflet  tlie  squire  in  LD,  made 


^  Bartsch,  Die  Eigennamen  in  Wol/ram^s  Parzival,  Germanistische  Studien, 
II,  142,  says  that  Schionatulander  may  be  Li  joenet  h  Palant,  "The  Youth 
with  the  Dog,"  in  allusion  to  the  cause  of  the  knight's  death.  Such  a  name 
would  be  very  appropriate  here.  It  could  easily  become  confused  with  the  more 
familiar  name  which  Renaud  writes,  probably  following  Chretien.  It  is  well  to 
note  that  the  owner  of  the  dog  in  the  Lay  of  the  Great  Fool  (see  below,  p.  171), 
is  called  "the  Gruagach  (enchanter  ?)  of  the  white  hound."  The  hero  swears  he 
shall  have  to  give  up  the  name  thereafter. 

2  Cf.  Paris,  Rom.,  XX,  299. 

2  It  was,  as  is  well  known,  regularly  applied  to  Ysolde.  In  Meraugis,  p.  5,  last 
line,  we  read  of  her  who  claimed  the  sparrow-hawk :  "  ot  la  pucele  et  blanches 
mains."  Ci.  Yvaifi  as  blances  fiiains,  Perceval,  2gi^o;  Tiose  Tristan,  p.  12;^.  In 
Peredur,  Ygharat  has  the  appellation  "^  la  main  d'or."  See  note  by  Loth,  in 
Les  Mab.,  II,  75. 


Studies  071  the  Libeaus  Dcscon?is.  137 

use  of  the  name  in  another  connection,  having  before  him  the  exact 
form  he  has  used. 

A  few  other  names  deserve  notice  : 

1.  In  BI  the  knight  who  takes  Margerie  home  is  not  named.  In 
LD  the  corresponding  knight,  who  takes  the  hawk  to  Arthur,  is  called 
Claudas.  This  is  not  an  English  name,  but  occurs  frequently  in 
French.^ 

2.  The  name  of  the  castle  Bel  Leu  in  BI  was  probably  an  inven- 
tion of  Renaud's,  and  may  have  been  suggested  by  Erec. 

Cf. 

Un  fort  chastel, 
Qui  mout  seoit  et  bien  et  bel, 


and 


Car  mout  estoit  pleisanz  11  leus.     (E.,  5185-go.) 

Un  castel  de  pris  ont  veii, 

Qui  moult  estoit  et  bous  et  bels. 

Bel  leus  avoit  non  11  castels.     (BI,  i486  fF.) 

3.  The  name  of  the  steward  in  LD  and  BI,  viz.  Lampart  {Lam- 
bard),  is  also  found  elsewhere.  It  is,  e.g.,  the  name  of  Perceval's 
great  uncle,  and  occurs  in  the  Prose  Tristan,  ed.  Loseth,  p.  357. 
See  further,  Zimmer,  Zt.  f.  franz.  Spr.  u.  Litt.,  XIII,  47,  52  ff. 

4.  As  to  Guinglain,  Zimmer  points  out^  that  there  is  no  form 
Winwaloen  (given  by  Paris),  although  the  Breton  Winwaloe  exists. 

JVinwatoeusJ  is  a  Breton  saint  of  the  sixth  century,  whose  life  was 
written  before  884,  —  nowadays  called  Saint  Guenole.  Of  this  saint 
it  is  told  how,  a  serpent  having  bitten  the  foot  of  one  of  the  saint's 
disciples,  he  not  only  cured  the  wound,  but,  calling  the  serpent, 
forced  it  to  leave  its  cave,  and  made  it  perish  by  the  application  of 
the  sign  of  the  cross.  Since  the  names  of  the  heroes  are  so  similar, 
we  are  reminded  of  the  serpent  transformation  in  our  poems ;  and 
we  remember  that  in  Peredur  and  Wig.  the  sign  of  the  cross  availed 
the  knight.     But  the  coincidence  is  doubtless  only  accidental.     As 


^  Cf.,  e.  g..  Prose  Tristan,  ed.  Loseth,  p.  36,  etc.     In  the  Livre  d^Artus,  ed. 
Freymond,  p.  63,  he  is  the  vassal  of  the  King  of  Gaul. 
2  In  Zl.f.  franz.  Spr.  u.  Litt.,  XIII,  17  ff. 
'  See  Mennung,  pp.  65-6.     Cf.  Revue  Celtiqite,  XV,  245. 


?. 


ijs  ir.  J/.  Sciiofuid. 

Paris  says/  "  C'est  un  miracle  familier  aux  saints,  et  notamment  aux 
Siiints  celtiques,  que  de  guerir  de  la  morsure  des  serpents  et  de  faire 
p^rir  ceux-ci."  We  have  here,  then,  in  his  opinion,  probably  a  purely 
ecclesiastical  legend,  of  a  kind  similar  to  those  associated  with  the 
names  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  Patrick. 

Zimmer  also  points  out  that  the  form  Guiglain  (without  the  first  ny 
occurs  in  Pen.,  33402,  33435,  33592,  in  the  Prose  lyistan,  etc., 
and  makes  it  probable  that  this  was  the  original  form.  He  suggests 
a  form  ^Giiigafilois  (cf.  Guigan-bresil ;  Loies  appears  in  numerous 
Breton  names), ^  giving  *Gingai{l)ois,  which  he  compares  with  JVi'ga- 
lois  and  the  form  Gingeleus  (or  Gin'gelcus)  of  a  MS.  of  the  Par- 
zival  of  Philipp  Colin  of  Strassburg  (^Hie  vindet  gawin  sinen  sun 
gingeleus,  Keller,  Romva7-t,  p.  672).  The  change  of  Guigalois  to 
Guiglain  ( Guinglain')  might  have  taken  place,  he  thinks,  under  the 
influence  of  Gauvain  (cf.  Gau-vains,  Y-vains,  and  Agra-vains,  who 
are  brothers,  as  also  are  Aglo-val  and  Perce-val),  with  which  the 
name  is  often  united,  in  rhyme  even,  since  Gauvain  is  the  father  of 
Guinglain. 

The  latest  suggestion  (March  27,  1895)  on  this  point  is  that  of 
E.  Freymond,*  based  on  likenesses  to  our  poems,  especially  to  Wig., 
in  the  prose  Liv7-e  d^Artus;  viz.  that  the  name  is  due  to  *Gui{7i)- 
galois  +  Alain,  the  latter  being  in  that  text  the  grandfather  of  *  Gui- 
galois. This  does  not  seem  so  probable  as  Zimmer's  supposition, 
on  the  whole. 

5.  The  situation  of  Arthur's  court  is  different  in  the  four  poems 
of  our  cycle :  in  LD,  Glastinbery ;  in  BI,  Charlion ;  in  Wig., 
Karidol  (=Carduel,  Cardevile,  =  Carlisle)  ;  in  Car.,  Camelot  (see 
p.  186). 

6.  The  city  of  the  enchanted  princess  is  called  Sinadoun,  which  is, 
of  course,  S7iowdon.     As  Paris  notes,  it  occurs  also  in  the  Latin 


1  Romafiia,  XX,  302.  He  adds,  "  Le  rapprochement  meme  des  noms  s'efface  si 
on  reflechit  que  le  nom  de  Guinglain  n'a  ete  mis  que  tardivement,  dans  les  contes 
celtiques,  en  rapport  avec  I'aventure  du  fier  baiser." 

-  In  the  French  prose  romance  it  is  written  Giglan.  Giglain  is  the  form  in 
the  Hippeau  text  of  BI;  but  Foerster  says  (Z/.  /  roin.  Phil.,  II,  79)  that 
Guinglain  is  the  constant  form  in  the  MS.  of  the  Due  d'Aumale. 

8  See  Zt.f.franz.  Sp.  u.  Litt.,  XII,  237. 

*  Zt.f.franz.  Sp.  u.  Litt.,  XVII,  50,  note  2, 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus.  139 

romance  of  Meriadocus  in  the  British  Museum.^  Ward  speaks  of  the 
name  as  "  essentially  English."  In  the  Lai  du  Cor"-  of  Robert  Biket, 
it  is  the  king  of  Sinadoun  who  tries  the  horn  next  after  Arthur. 


RENAUD'S  USE   OF   THE    PERCEVAL. 

BI  shows  traces  of  Renaud's  acquaintance  with  Chretien's  Perce- 
val. It  also  contains  passages  which,  but  for  possible  chronological 
difficulties/  one  would  unhesitatingly  pronounce  borrowings  from  the 
continuation  by  Gautier  (Gaucher).  Thus  in  two  places  BI  seems 
to  show  the  influence  of  Gautier's  account  of  Perceval's  visit  to  the 
Castle  of  Maidens  :  the  description  of  events  at  the  He  d'Or,  and  at 
the  castle  of  Senaudon.     First  as  to  the  latter. 

Perc.  and  BI  come  to  a  castle,  which  in  both  cases  is  "  mout 
rices  "  and  surrounded  by  a  stream,  over  which  the  hero  passes.  In 
Perc.  the  castle  is  described  as  follows  : 

Si  vit  .1.  moult  rice  castiel, 

Dont  tout  li  mur  at  li  quariel 

Erent  de  marbre  couloure, 

De  Vermel  at  de  gausna  ovrd  ; 

Tour  i  avoit  haute  at  bien  falte, 

Ausi  com  s'ele  fust  portraite.     (26487  if.) 


In  BI  we  read 


Li  murs  estoiant  bon  at  bal, 
De  mabre  sent  tot  li  quartel ; 

Et  furent  da  maintas  colors  ; 

Taillie  a  biatas  et  a  flors. 

Et  sont  li  quartel  bien  asis, 

Indes  et  vers,  gaunes  et  bis ; 

Et  a  V  toises  tot  enter 

Ot  adit's  una  haute  tor.     (2835-44.) 


1  Hist.  Litt.,  XXX,  174,  n.;  see  Ward,  Caial.  of  Romances,  I,  375. 

2  F.  Wulff,  Le  Lai  du  Cor  [1888],  v.  415. 

*  Birch-Hirschfeld,  Gral.,  p.  no,  and  Nutt,  Studies,  p.  95,  think  that  Gautier 
followed  Chretien  after  no  long  interval.  Heinzel,  Gralroinane,  p.  3,  expresses 
no  opinion.  Mennung,  p.  17,  believes  that  Gautier  borrowed  some  incidents  from 
BI  (but  see  p.  192,  below). 


I40  IV.  //.  Schoficld. 

The  city  is  apparently  uninhabited.     In  both  cases  it  (or  the  liall) 
is  said  to  be  gaste. 

Pierchevaus  moult  s'esmervella 
Por  v'oii  que  il  ne  vit  nului.     (26504-5  ;  cf.  26916.) 
In  BI : 

Et  la  citti  home  n'avoit 

Tote  gaste  la  vile  estoit.     (2847-8.) 

This  does  not  deter  him. 

Ens  est  entrds  parmi  la  porta.     {Perc,  26499.) 
Par  la  porte  dedans  entra.     (BI,  2S50.) 

Nothing  delays  him  : 

Perchevaus  ne  s''est  atargies.     {Perc,  26496.) 
Que  de  rien  ne  s'en  va  targant.     (BI,  2888.) 

When  he  enters  the  hall  the  door  is  closed  behind  him.     In  Perc.  : 

la  porte  estoit  frem^e 
Tantost  com  Toi  je  hui  passee. 

(26879-80;  cf.  26505-6.) 
and  in  BI : 

Derier  Tuis  ot  i  jougldor 

Qui  en  sa  main  tint  i  tabor, 

Et  li  a  Puis  apr^s  ferm^.     (2889  ff.) 

The  hall  is  splendidly  lit  by  torches.     In  Fe>-c. : 

I  ot  moult  cierges  alumds 
Que  moult  fu  grande  la  clartes.     (26837-8.) 
and  in  BI : 

En  la  sale  avoit  grant  clartd 

Des  cierges  qui  laiens  ardoient.     (2892-3.) 

In  the  centre  of  the  hall  was  a  table.     Cf. 
Une  table  ot  mise  desus 

Bien  .v.  pies,  au  mien  ensient.     {Perc,  26517-21.) 
with 

Une  grant  table  en  mi  avoit. 

Qui  s^oit  desus  vii  dormans.     (BI,  2896-7.) 

He  remains  beside  the  table,  waiting  to  see  what  will  happen.     Cf. 
Perc,  26703-4  with  BI,  2899  ff. 


Studies  on  the  Li  beans  Desconus.  141 

Getting  separated  from  his  horse,  he  finds  it  again.     In  Pen.: 

Revenus  est  a  son  cheval 
Lk  u  premiers  ot  pris  estal.     (26621-2.) 
and  in  BI : 

Iluec  estoit  tot  a  estal ; 

Lies  fu  quant  il  ot  son  ceval.     (2961-2.) 

After  the  meeting  he  is  in  great  terror,  and  returns  to  the  centre 
of  the  hall.     Cf.  Perc,  26618  ff.  with  BI,  3065  ff. 

But  the  hero  is  exhausted  and  goes  to  sleep,  and  when  he  wakes 
up  it  is  day.     In  Perc.  : 

Si  lassds  ert  et  si  aquis, 
Del^s  la  dame  est  endormis.     (26945-6.) 
Travellids  estes  et  penes.     (26958.) 
So  in  BI : 

Moult  estoit  Giglains  travillies  ; 

De  dormir  li  est  talens  pris, 
Car  lasses  est  et  travillies. 
Dormi  a,  puis  est  esvillids. 
Grant  jors  estoit,  quant  s'esvilla ; 
En  la  sale  grant  clarte  a.     (3227-34.) 

Perchevaus  toute  nuit  dormi 

Tant  que  li  biaus  jors  esclarci, 

Et  que  li  solaus  fu  leves.     (26971  ff.) 

Perc.  is  told  that  the  castle  "  si  biel "  was  built  without  the  aid  of 
masons  or  laborers  (26899  ff.).  With  this  and  the  description  of  the 
castle  already  given,  compare  that  of  the  He  d'Or  in  BI : 

Moult  i  avoit  rice  castel, 

Li  murs  en  furent  rice  et  bel, 

Dont  li  castels  tos  clos  estoit.     (1867  ff.) 

En  la  vile  ot  11  tors  vermelles ; 

Qui  beles  6rent  h,  mervelles, 

Et  furent  de  marbre  vermeil, 

Qui  moult  reluist  contre  soleil. 

Un  palais  i  ot  bon  et  bel. 
Cil  qui  le  fist  sot  d'encanter, 
Que  nus  horn  ne  Tpuet  deviser 


Cf.  Perc. 


142  //'.  //.   Sc/iofu'ld. 

De  coi  il  fu  ;  mais  bel  estoit. 

Cristal  la  piere  resanbloit, 

Dont  li  palais  estoit  tot  fait 

Et  h  conpas  tiestos  portrait.     (1881-94.) 

When  Perc.  is  well  received  by  the  maidens,  it  seems  to  him 
**qu'il  soit  entr^s  en  paradis  "  (26770)  ;  so  to  BI,  when  he  entered 
the  room  of  his  loved  one,  it  "  sanbloit  paradis  "  (4655),^  Moreover 
(and  the  agreement  here  is  specially  striking),  we  find  both  Perc. 
and  BI  going  to  sleep  in  the  evening  in  the  castle,  and,  when  they 
awake  in  the  morning,  they  are  out  in  a  forest  with  their  arms  and 
equipment,  and  marvel  at  the  change.^ 

Cf.  Perc.  : 

Deles  la  dame  est  endormis.     (26946.) 
with  BI : 

S'est  endormis  dales  s'amie.     (5299.) 

Then  also  cf.  Perc,  26974  fif. : 

Esvellids  s'est,  si  s'est  trouvds 
Desous  .1.  grant  caisne  fuellu ; 
Lds  lui  sa  lance  et  son  escu 
Et  ses  armes  et  son  diestrier, 
Tout  atourne  por  chevaucier. 

Quant  Giglains  au  matin  s'esvelle, 
De  ce  qu'il  vit  ot  grant  mervelle ; 


and  BI,  5303  ff. 


^  Cf.  also  Perc.'s  asking  explanation  from  the  beautiful  lady  of  the  strange 
experiences  he  had  in  the  castle  (26879  ff.)  with  that  asked  by  BI  of  his  enchant- 
ment at  the  He  d'Or  (4776  ff.). 

2  In  the  Prose  Tristan,  ed. 'Loseth,  §  290%  we  learn  of  Erec's  going  to  sleep 
in  a  castle  and  the  next  morning  finding  himself  when  he  wakes  up  in  a  boat  in 
the  middle  of  a  lake.  When  he  reaches  the  bank,  he  finds  his  horse  and  arms. 
In  Li  Romans  de  Claris  et  Laris,  ed.  Alton,  Marine  and  her  company  meet 
with  a  similar  adventure  on  their  way  to  Denmark  (see  p.  820).  Heinzel  says 
{^Ueb.  die  franz.  Gralromane,  p.  31):  "  Ein  marchenhaftes  Motiv  ist  benutzt, 
wenn  Gawan,  nachdem  er  in  der  Gralburg  eingeschlafen  ist,  den  andern  Morgcn 
auf  freiem  Feld  erwacht,  20304;  s.  erste  Interpolation  zu  Pseudo-Gautier,  Potvin, 
III,  S.  372,  V.  170.  Heinrich  vom  Thiirlein  Krone  14884.  .  .  .  Das  Erwachen 
Percevals  bei  seinem  ersten  Besuch  auf  der  Gralburg,  Crestien  4537,  hat  nichts 
Zauberhaftes.  Er  wird  nur  in  unhoflicher  Weise  allein  gelassen.  Gleichwohl 
wird  diese  Einsamkeit  des  Gastes  am  Morgen  nach  der  glanzenden  Geselligkeit 
den  Abend  vorher  den  Anlass  zu  Einfiihrung  des  Marchenmotivs  geboten  haben." 


Studies  on  tJie  Libeaus  Desconus.  143 

Car  il  se  trova  en  un  bois. 
Dales  lui  trova  son  harnois, 
Son  cief  tenoit  sor  son  escu 
Et  devant  lui  si  r'a  veu 
Son  ceval  qui  fu  atachies. 

In  both  cases  the  hero  is  astonished.     In  BI,  Robert,  of  course, 
takes  part. 

Perchevaus  moult  s'en  esmervelle.     (26981.) 
In  BI. : 

Quant  li  uns  a  I'autre  veu ; 

Moult  en  sont  andui  esperdu.     (5315-6.) 

The  hero  gives  expression  to  his  surprise. 

Cf. 

Dont  a  primes  garde  entor  lui ; 
'  Diex  aie  ! '  fait-il,  '  jou  fui 
Anuit  el  castiel  as  Puceles 

Or  ne  voi  horde  ne  maison, 
Ne  mur  ne  porte  ne  riens  n^e ; 

Mais  de  chou  ne  me  douc  je  mie 
Que  ne  fusee  mout  aaisies 
Et  en  trop  rice  lit  chouci^s  ; 

Et  or  sui  ci  desous  ce  kaisne.'     (Fere,  26987-27003.) 
with 

Li  uns  a  Tautre  regarde  : 

'Robert,  dist  Giglains,  que  dis  tu? 

Avons  nos  ci  a  nuit  jeu  ? 

Er  soir  me  couc^ai  je  aillors, 

Dales  m'amie  a  grant  honor ; 

Or  me  sui  en  un  bois  troves, 

Tos  esbahis  et  esgares. 

Et  tu,  venis  tu  ci  er  soir?' 

Ce  dist  Robers  :  '  Naie  por  voir. 

Er  soir  en  mon  lit  me  dormi ; 

Or  me  resui  troves  ici.''     (BI,  5318  fF.) 

But  both  decide  to  arm  and  ride  on. 

Cf. 

Sans  atargier  le  hauberc  vest, 
Le  hiaume  lace  sans  arriest, 


144  ly-  it-   Schoficld. 

L'cscu  au  col,  Tcspce  au  Ids, 
Est  desus  son  cheval  montds.     {Terc.^  26983  ff.) 
with 

Atant  cauce  ses  esperons. 

Li  escuiers  Taubert  toisa 

Et  cil  sor  son  cheval  nionta.     (BI,  5342  ff.) 

They  commence  their  journey. 

Cf. 

Tant  a  ern5  par  la  gaudine 
Qu'il  vint  en  line  grant  valee.     {Perc,  27006-7.) 
with 

Tant  [ont]  errd  par  lor  jorndes, 

Et  tant  lor  droite  vole  tinrent, 

Ou'al  castel  des  Puceles  vinrent.     (BI,  5358  ff.) 

This  last  line  in  BI  would  almost  be  sufificient  to  suggest  borrow- 
ing, for  we  have  the  Castle  of  Maidens  ^  introduced  here  without  any 
reason.  It  was  surely  not  in  Renaud's  original.  BI  is  made  to 
come  to  the  castle  at  which  the  adventure  in  Fe/r.  took  place.  The 
agreements  in  the  above  passages  are  too  close  to  permit  of  any 
other  theory  than  borrowing,  whether  by  Renaud  or  by  Gautier  (see 
p.  192,  below). 

It  looks  also  as  if  from  this  passage  an  explanation  might  be  found 
for  the  origin  of  two  of  the  proper  names  in  BI  which  are  in  no 
other  version.  In  Fere.  (26582)  the  lady  who  first  appears  at  the 
castle  is  said  to  be  esmarie,  and  also  "  moult  avenans  et  bele."  In 
BI,  also,  she  is  very  beautiful,  and  is  given  the  name  of  Esmeree. 
Further,  the  chief  of  the  maidens  is  compared  in  Fere,  to  a  "  Rose  de 
noviel  espanie''''  (26797),  and  we  remember  that  the  amie  of  Gifflet 
in  BI  was  called  Rose  espanie.  We  have  already  noted,  also,  that  in 
both  cases  the  epithet  gaste  is  applied  to  the  places  in  the  two  poems 
which  are  described  in  similar  words  ;^  and  elsewhere  (p.  137)  a 
suggestion  is  made  as  to  the  origin  of  the  name  Bel  Leu.  If  these 
be  accepted,  most  of  the  names  which  Renaud  made  up  have  been 
explained.^ 


1  On  this  name  see  Ernst  Martin,  Fergus,  Einl.,  p.  xix. 

2  Cf.  above,  p.  140. 

^  There  is  a  gaste  cite  in  the  prose  romance  of  Perceval  li  Galois,  which  later 
becomes  peopled  (as  Mennung  points  out,  p.  18). 


Studies  on  the  Libeatis  Desconus.  14$ 

RENAUD'S   KNOWLEDGE   OF   TRISTAN. 

Renaud  must  also  have  known  some  form  of  the  Tristan  story  ^ 
(probably  that  by  Chretien),  for  the  name  of  that  hero  occurs  in  BI 
no  less  than  ten  times.  He  is  among  the  knights  at  Arthur's  feast  at 
Charlion  (35),  and  he  is  one  of  the  barons  whom  the  king  calls  to 
counsel  him  how  to  induce  Giglain  to  return  (5160).  He  takes  also 
a  prominent  part  in  the  tournament  (see  5210,  5488,  55 18-5541, 
6018).  The  fight  of  BI  with  the  enchanter  was  not  equalled  by  that 
"del  grant  Morholt,  ne  de  Tristant "  (301 1)  ;  and  of  BI  and  the 
fairy  it  is  said  : 

Car  plus  I'uns  por  Tautre  se  deut. 

Qui  ne  fist  Tristans  por  Yseut.     (4335-6.) 

We  hear  also  of  Lex  la  btonde  in  4260,  of  Yseuls  la  bele  in  5492  ; 
and  Mars  de  Cornouaille  is  mentioned  in  5448. 

THE  ORIGIN  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  STORY. 

No  satisfactory  theory  has  as  yet  been  offered  to  explain  the  origin 
of  our  cycle  of  poems.  Mennung^  thinks  that  the  most  primitive 
elements  are  the  episodes  with  the  fee  and  the  enchanted  princess. 
These,  he  holds,  first  existed  amongst  the  Bretons  as  independent 
tales,  but  were  later  told  by  some  Breton  singer  as  the  adventures  of 
a  single  hero.  This  fusion  he  calls  Version  Y  (the  Breton  elements 
being  X  ^  and  X  ^) .  To  the  combination  Y  was  added  a  new  adven- 
ture ;  viz.,  the  fight  with  the  giants,  which  was,  he  thinks,  taken  from 
Erec.  These  three  incidents  are  found  united  in  Version  Z,  and 
from  this  form  are  drawn  independently  the  Itahan  Car.  and  another 
version,  which  he  calls  U.  In  U  the  earlier  story  is  lengthened  by 
a  second  borrowing  of  several  incidents  from  Eree.  In  this  version 
the  hero  is  for  the  first  time  called  Guijiglain,  "The  Fair  Unknown," 
and  is  also  made  a  son  of  Gawein.  From  U,  LD  and  BI  are  drawn 
independently ;  and  from  BI  comes  Wig. 


^  Cf.  Leopold  Sudre,  Les  Allusions  h  la  Legende  de  Tristan  dans  la  Litll-rature 
du  Moyen  Age,  in  Rom.,  XV,  534  ft".;  see  also  pp.  598,  602. 
2  Der  Bel  Inconnu,  pp.  44  ff. 

L 


146  Ji:  n.  Schofield. 

Paris'  regards  all  this  as  "jiulicieux  et  vraisemblable,"  except 
as  to  the  first  borrowing  from  Erec,  which  he  is  right  in  thinking 
unnecessary.  He  thinks,"  moreover,  that  the  author  of  Version  Z 
added  the  account  of  "  I'enfance  solitaire  et  sauvage  du  h^ros." 

We  thus  see  that,  in  the  opinion  of  Paris  and  Mennung,  the  kernel 
of  the  story  is  the  mlirchen  of  \\\t  fier  baiser,  which  became  combined 
with  another  m'drchen  (the  fee  episode),  and  one  hero  was  made  to 
perform  both  adventures.  From  this  was  elaborated,  by  the  addition 
of  different  episodes  taken  at  different  times  from  other  poems,  a 
biographical  romance  telling  the  deeds  of  a  young  knight,  who  finally 
received  the  name  of  Guinglain  and  was  called  by  Arthur  and  his 
knights  Libeaus  Desconeus.  In  the  course  of  the  development  of 
this  romance  it  occurred  to  some  one  to  make  the  hero  a  young  boy 
brought  up  alone  in  the  woods,  ignorant  of  his  noble  parentage  and 
of  the  outer  world,  who  came  to  Arthur's  court  anxious  to  be  knighted. 
He  is  made  to  undertake  the  series  of  adventures  which  had  already 
become  collected  around  the  original  7?idrchen.  This  prefatory 
account,  which  now  is  tacked  on  to  a  story  with  which  it  had  origi- 
nally nothing  to  do,  is  most  familiar  to  us  as  the  account  which  is 
regularly  given  of  the  youth  of  Perceval,  although  a  similar  story  is 
told  of  the  boyhood  of  other  heroes,  e.g.,  Cuchulinn,  Tyolet,  Fergus, 
The  Great  Fool,  etc.  This  is,  then,  the  only  connection  which  the 
Desc.  poems,  in  the  opinion  of  Paris  and  Mennung,  have  with  the 
Perceval  cycle. 

I  should  like  now  to  propose  an  entirely  different  theory,  which 
will,  I  think,  be  found  to  explain  the  situation  much  more  clearly 
and  simply. 

I  hope  to  be  able  to  show  that  ihejier  baiser,  instead  of  being  the 
beginning  of  the  whole  cycle,  was  not  attached  to  it  until  a  series  of 
other  adventures  had  grown  up  around  a  young  hero  who  had  been 
brought  up  in  the  woods  ;  and  that  the  account  of  the  latter's  boy- 
hood was  part  of  the  story  from  the  beginning,  and  not  a  late  addi- 
tion. In  a  word,  that  Libeaus  Desconus  is  only  Perceval  with  a  new 
name,  and  that  originally  the  adventures  ascribed  to  the  former  in 


1  Rom.,  XX,  299-300. 

2  Mennung  (p.  43)  thought  wrongly  that  this  might  have  been  first  added  by 
Pucci. 


Studies  on  the  Libcaiis  Dcsconiic  147 

the  early  versions  of  our  cycle  of  poems  were  those  that  had  pre- 
viously been  ascribed  to  the  latter  only,  with  the  single  exception  of 
the  elaborated  account  of  Xhtfier  haiser. 

These  conclusions  are  based  on  the  similarity  which  will  be  seen 
to  exist  between  that  form  of  the  Fair  Unknown  story  which  is  the 
most  primitive  attainable  by  analysis  and  one  version  of  the  Perceval 
story,  namely  the  Peredur,  not  merely  in  the  account  of  the  hero's 
youth,  but  in  the  general  framework  of  his  subsequent  adventures. 

The  Welsh  story,  Peredur,^  contains,  amongst  others,  the  following 
features  : 

1.  A  mother,  having  lost  her  husband  and  several  sons  in  battle  or 
tournament,  determines  to  prevent  her  only  remaining  son,  who  is 
very  young,  from  suffering  a  like  fate,  and  flees  with  him  to  a  forest, 
where  she  brings  him  up  in  entire  ignorance  of  the  outside  world. 
Discovering  by  accident  the  existence  of  other  human  beings,  he  is 
seized  with  a  desire  to  go  to  Arthur's  court.  His  mother,  unable  to 
dissuade  him  from  going,  gives  him  instructions  as  to  his  future  con- 
duct.    He  starts  off,  leaving  her  behind  in  sorrow  (pp.  45-49). 

2.  He  goes  to  the  court,  anxious  to  be  made  a  knight.  Just  then 
a  man  is  needed  for  an  adventure  demanding  great  valor  and 
strength.  No  one  of  the  courtiers  wishing  to  undertake  it,  the 
young  man  offers  himself,  and  at  once  sets  out.  Much  to  the  sur- 
prise of  all,  he  is  successful.  Owein  helps  him  to  put  on  his  new 
armor,  taken  from  the  knight  whom  the  boy  has  just  slain,  and  he 
departs  in  quest  of  adventure,  bent  also  on  revenge  for  a  wrong  done 
him  by  one  of  Arthur's  knights  (51-55). 

3.  He  first  has  an  encounter  with  a  single  knight  who  has  robbed 
and  killed  many  knights  before,  and  who  refuses  to  let  him  pass.  P. 
overthrows  him  ;  but  the  knight  begs  for  mercy,  and  his  life  is  spared 
on  condition  that  he  go  and  give  himself  up  to  Arthur,  telling  him 
by  whom  he  has  been  conquered.  The  knight  swears  to  do  so,  and 
at  once  fulfils  his  promise  (55-56). 

4.  P.  rides  on  and  next  meets  several  knights,  all  of  whom  he 
overthrows  and  disgraces,  and  sends  to  Arthur  as  before  (56). 

5.  As  he  is  riding  through  a  wood,  he  hears  the  piercing  cries  of 
a  woman  in  distress.     He  fights  with  the  one  who  has  caused  her 


^  The  translation  of  Loth  has  been  used. 


148  ir.  II.   Schojicld. 

trouble  and  conquers  him.  The  vanquished  man  is  forced  to  go  and 
deliver  himself  up  to  Arthur,  promising  further  to  look  after  the 
woman  he  has  caused  to  mourn  (cf.  Wig.).  There  is  joy  at  court 
(60-62). 

6.  Soon  P.  comes  to  a  great  castle  surmounted  by  numerous 
strong  towers.  He  is  welcomed  there,  and  his  armor  is  removed. 
A  woman  enters  the  room  who  is  more  beautiful  than  any  he  has 
ever  seen.  She  also  welcomes  him,  throws  her  arms  about  his  neck, 
and  sits  down  beside  him.  A  meal  is  prepared,  and  they  place  them- 
selves at  the  table.  When  the  suitable  time  comes,  a  room  is  pre- 
pared for  P.  and  he  retires  to  his  bed.  Later  the  young  woman 
comes  to  him  and  offers  to  be  his  wife  or  mistress.  She  is  the  sole 
heir  to  the  lands  about,  but  is  in  distress  because  of  a  knight  who 
wishes  to  marry  her.  She  is  anxious  to  get  rid  of  him,  as  are  also 
her  people.  The  time  has  almost  arrived  when  she  must  submit  to 
him.  Nothing  further,  however,  passes  between  P.  and  the  lady  that 
night.  P.  frees  her  from  her  oppressors,  but  is  unwilling  to  marry 
her,  and  departs  (62-68). 

He  then  comes  to  another  castle  ruled  over  by  a  lady,  where  he  is 
again  well  received.  They  sit  down  to  a  repast,  after  which  he  is 
advised  to  leave  the  place,  for  the  land  is  in  the  power  of  sorcerers. 
Nevertheless,  he  stays  one  night,  during  which  he  hears  frightful 
cries,  goes  to  the  rescue  of  the  one  in  trouble,  and  overcomes  a  sor- 
ceress, who  declares  he  alone  could  have  done  this :  fate  had  so 
decreed  (69-70). 

7.  The  next  day  he  departs.  Later  he  comes  to  a  hall  where 
some  valets  are  playing  chess.  One  of  three  ladies  near  by  weeps 
because  she  knows  the  fate  that  is  to  attend  him  if  he  is  like  all 
previous  comers ;  for  all  who  come  there  without  permission  must 
risk  their  lives  in  combat  with  the  lord  of  the  castle.  P.,  however, 
is  permitted  to  defer  the  fight  until  the  next  day,  and  in  the  evening 
there  is  eating,  drinking,  and  conversation.  According  to  the  rules 
of  the  place,  he  fights  with  the  knight,  and  finally  forces  him  to  beg 
for  mercy  (82-84). 

8.  This  knight  then  gives  information  of  a  great  serpent  not  far 
away  who  has  injured  him.  He  instructs  P.  how  to  find  the  monster. 
On  his  way  P.  meets  a  wonderfully  beautiful  woman.  She  knows  the 
object  of  his  coming,  and  tells  him  that  the  addanc,  whom  he  must 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descomis.  149 

first  overcome,  kills  his  victims  "  non  par  vaillance,  mais  par  ruse." 
The  monster,  invisible  himself,  Hes  in  wait  at  the  threshold  and  slays 
every  comer  with  a  poisoned  dart.  On  condition  that  P.  will  love 
her  (which  he  already  does),  this  lady  gives  him  a  stone  which  makes 
him  invisible  and  the  addanc  visible.  With  this  aid  P.  slays  the 
addanc.  On  coming  out,  he  finds  three  companions,  who  greatly 
rejoice  and  offer  him  a  share  of  the  kingdom  (84-89). 

9.  A  knight  now  begs  to  be  taken  as  P.'s  attendant.  The  latter  is 
willing,  and  they  ride  on  together  (89). 

10.  The  serpent  is  then  found  and  killed.  P.  shows  his  prowess 
in  a  tournament,  marries  the  princess  who  has  aided  him,  and 
governs  the  land  with  her  for  many  years,  "  a  ce  que  dit  I'histoire  " 
(91-96). 

11.  In  the  course  of  the  story  we  also  learn  that  Arthur's  court  is 
at  Kaerllion ;  that  P.  becomes  famous  there,  and  that  at  each  bit 
of  news  from  him  the  knights  long  for  his  safe  return ;  that  some  of 
them  start  out  to  bring  him  back ;  that  Gavvain  and  he  are  special 
companions  and  friends ;  and  that  P.  has  his  revenge  before  he  goes 
back  to  court. 

It  is  impossible  not  to  see  in  these  incidents  a  striking  resemblance 
with  what  must  have  been  an  early  form  of  the  story  of  the  Fair 
Unknown.  Practically  the  culmination  of  that  part  of  the  Welsh 
narrative  which  here  concerns  us  is  the  killing  of  a  serpent.  The 
young  knight  does  this  with  the  aid  of  the  most  beautiful  woman  he 
has  ever  seen,  —  one  for  whom  he  has  already  avowed  his  affection. 
As  a  result  she  marries  him,  and  together  they  govern  her  land  for 
many  years.  All  that  was  really  needed  was  for  some  one  familiar 
with  the  widespread  marchen  of  the  fier  baiser  to  combine,  under 
the  influence  of  this  marchen,  the  serpent  killed  by  P.  and  the  beauti- 
ful woman  who  aids  him  into  the  single  character  of  the  princess  in 
serpent  form,  and  to  adopt  the  special  incident  of  the  disenchanting 
kiss.  This  easy  combination  once  made,  the  next  step,  also  a  very 
natural  one,  would  be  to  make  this  disenchantment  the  special 
mission  on  which  the  young  knight  leaves  Arthur's  court.  Natu- 
rally, upon  the  happy  conclusion  of  his  mission,  he  would  return  to 
Arthur,  and  the  story  would  end  with  the  marriage  of  the  lovers  and 
their  joint  rule  over  the  wife's  lands.  These  changes  would  necessi- 
tate the  coming  of  the  messengers  to  court  to  obtain  aid,  and  their 


150  //;  y/.   Schofield. 

accompanying  the  champion  who  is  given  them.     Other  than  this 
little  tliat  is  new  is  neeilecl. 

I  do  not  maintain,  of  course,  that  Peredur  is  the  source  from 
which  our  Desc.  poems  had  their  origin,  for  it  itself  must  in  all 
probability  be  regarded  as  a  working  over  of  an  earlier  narrative ; 
but  I  think  its  likeness  to  the  poems  of  our  cycle  shows  clearly  that 
the  latter  are  origiiially  nothing  but  stories  of  the  exploits  of  the 
youthful  Perceval.     It  is  important  here  to  observe  : 

1.  That  we  need,  under  any  circumstances,  to  assume  the  influence 
of  the  Perceval  saga  to  explain  the  introduction,  telling  of  the  boy- 
hood of  the  hero,  his  life  in  the  woods,  his  going  to  court,  etc. 

2.  That  practically  every  incident  in  Car.  is  accounted  for  by 
the  Welsh  story  modified  as  above. 

3.  That  LD  contains  only  two  new  features;  viz.  the  dispute 
about  the  dog,  and  the  sparrow-hawk  incident. 

4.  That  BI  has  only  such  further  additions  as  can  readily  be 
explained  (see  above,  pp.  106  ff). 

5.  That  the  incidents  in  the  Welsh  come  in  precisely  the  same 
order  as  in  LD. 

Moreover,  Peredur  explains  unique  features  in  the  different  poems. 

I.  It  agrees,  e.g.,  with  LD  in  the  following  points  :  (i)  the  boy  is 
furnished  with  armor  at  Arthur's  court,  and  he  is  clad  in  this  armor 
by  one  or  more  of  Arthur's  knights;^  (2)  the  adventure  with  the 
company  of  hostile  knights  follows  directly  that  with  the  single  knight, 
and  all  are  sent  to  Arthur  (unlike  BI,  where  another  adventure  inter- 
venes, and  only  one  of  the  company  is  made  to  go  to  the  court)  ; 

(3)  the  hero  takes  a  knight  as  his  attendant  when  he  is  near  the 
end   of  his  journey,  although   the   latter  has   really  little   to   do ;  ^ 

(4)  the  addanc  uses  poisoned  weapons. 

II.  Peredur  agrees  with  BI  in  the  description  of  the  events  at  the 
He  d'Or:  (i)  the  reception  by  the  beautiful  lady;  (2)  the  hero's 
retiring   after   their   meal   to  the    bedcham"ber   prepared   for   him ; 


1  In  Peredur  it  is  Owein;  in  Perc.  and  Wig.  it  is  Gawein;  in  LD,  which  here 
appeals  for  authority  to  a  French  source,  we  have  both  Owein  and  Gawein,  as 
well  as  Perceval  and  Agrafain,  bidden  to  do  this  service.  I  may  add  that,  except 
Gawein,  who  is  now  made  the  boy's  father,  Perceval  is  the  one  of  Arthur's  knights 
oftenest  mentioned  in  LD. 

2  See  p.  Ill,  above. 


Studies  on  the  Lib  cans  Descomts.  151 

(3)  the  visit  of  the  lady  after  he  is  there  ;  (4)  the  fact  that  the  hero 
and  she  do  not  pass  the  night  together ;  (5)  disturbance  of  the  hero's 
rest  by  sorcery  (for  the  features  of  the  two  castles  ruled  over  by 
women  would  easily  become  united)  ;  (6)  the  piercing  cries  in  the 
night  ;^  (7)  the  knight  who  wishes  to  marry  the  lady,  but  whom  she 
and  her  people  dislike  ;  (8)  the  fact  that  the  duration  of  her  resis- 
tance has  almost  reached  its  limit.  Peredur  also  strengthens  the 
contention  tliaT  the  He  d'Or  episode  was  only  an  incident  in  the 
journey,  and  that  there  was  no  love  lost  in  the  whole  affair,  for  in 
the  Welsh  the  lady  is  forced  to  act  as  she  does  by  her  brothers. 

We  may  also  note  that  (i)  the  great  danger  in  the  struggle  with 
the  addanc  is  on  crossing  the  threshold;  (2)  the  hero  is  warned  of 
his  foe's  deceits  before  he  goes  to  the  conflict;  (3)  when  he  returns 
victorious  he  finds  his  three  companions  awaiting  him ;  (4)  it  is 
specially  stated  that  he  alone  can  overcome  the  sorcerers  :  it  had 
been  so  decreed  by  fate. 

But  it  is  with  Car.,  even  more  than  with  LD  and  BI,  that  we 
should  expect  Peredur  to  correspond  in  points  in  which  the  four 
poems  of  our  cycle  disagree.  For  Car.  is  admitted  to  be  based  on 
a  version  earlier  than  the  source  of  LD-BI,  —  on  a  version,  in  fact, 
in  which  Gawain  had  not  become  the  father  of  the  hero,  and  in 
which  the  boy  was  not  yet  called  Libeaus  Desconeus  or  Guinglain. 
Our  expectations  in  this  regard  are  not  disappointed  ;  for  if  we  com- 
pare Car.  and  Peredur,  we  find  that  in  both:  (i)  the  father  of  the 
boy  has  been  killed,  and  it  is  to  keep  her  son  from  any  knowledge 
of  warfare  that  the  mother  flees  to  the  woods;  (2)  when  she  finds 
him  determined  to  leave  her,  she  gives  him  instructions  as  to  his 
future  conduct;  (3)  the  boy  leaves  the  court  intent  on  revenge  for 
a  wrong  done  him  by  one  of  Arthur's  knights ;  (4)  he  has  absolutely 
no  real  affection  for  the  lady  at  whose  castle  he  lodges  ;  (5)  it  is  not 
necessary  to  fight  before  he  is  offered  the  privilege  of  spending  a 
night  with  her ;  and  (6)  he  does  not  lie  with  her. 

The  correspondences  pointed  out  in  the  last  four  paragraphs  cer- 
tainly support  our  hypothesis  (p.  146)  as  to  the  development  of  the 
Desc.  story. 


^  I.e.,  in  BI,  the  cries  of  the  hero  when  in  terror  from  the  enchantment  prac- 
tised by  they?,f  /  in  Peredur,  the  cries  of  the  victim  tormented  by  a  sorceress. 


I5J  n;  //.  Si/iofu-u. 

Mcnnung's  view/  that  there  were  hvo  distinct  borrowings  made 
from  the  Enc  before  the  composition  of  BI,  is  thus  made  improb- 
able. The  adventure  with  the  giants  in  Erec  is  no  more  hke  that  in 
the  Desc.  jioems  than  is  that  in  the  Pt-rcJur,  and  certainly  gives  no 
ground  for  belief  in  a  "  direkte  Entlehnung."-  There  is  no  neces- 
sitv.  then,  for  version  Z  in  Mennung's  Filiations-Tafel,  and,  conse- 
quently, for  putting  the  composition  of  the  version  from  which 
Car  Jit  i  no  is  drawn  after  the  year  1160.  Doubtless  the  Erec  was  (I 
used  by  the  author  from  whose  poem  LD  and  BI  are  drawn ;  but  ll 
I  can  see  no  ground  to  suppose  that  it  had  any  influence  on  the 
form  of  the  story  on  which  the  Italian  poem  was  based. 

A\'e  must  believe  that  there  was  some  version  of  the  story  such 
as  that  of  which  I  have  already  spoken,  containing,  perhaps,  all  the 
adventures  which  are  common  to  Peredur  and  the  Fair  Unknown 
story,  with  the  changes  necessary  to  unify  them  into  a  continuous 
account  of  the  young  hero,  his  boyhood,  his  arrival  at  Arthur's  court, 
his  undertaking  the  adventure  proposed  by  messengers,  which  had  as 
its  aim  the  freeing  of  an  enchanted  princess,  the  difficulties  and  bat- 
tles on  the  way,  the  final  success,  the  journey  of  the  princess  with 
her  deliverer  to  the  court,  their  marriage  and  return  to  the  wife's 
country,  over  which  they  rule  happily  for  many  years. 

It  seems  probable  that  the  Italian  poet  had  before  him  more  than 
he  used,  e.g.,  the  fight  with  several  knights  and  the  adventure  with 
the  knight  who  was  later  called  Lampart.  Still  one  cannot  be  cer- 
tain, and  there  is  no  need  to  dogmatize. 

Though  Peredur  has  been  used  in  the  foregoing  comparison,  it 
should  be  observed  that  the  soundness  of  the  results  arrived  at  does 
not  depend  on  a  particular  theory  as  to  the  position  of  the  Welsh 
story  in  the  Perceval  cycle.  Peredur  is,  as  Nutt  says,^  "  an  obvious 
piecing  together  of  all  sorts  of  incidents  relating  to  its  hero,  the  only 
connecting  link  being  that  of  his  personality,"  and  "  its  author  may 
be  supposed,  when  compiling  his  work,  to  have  stretched  out  his 


^  Der  Bel  Inconnit,  p.  45. 

2  Paris  {I\o>n.,  XX,  300)  has  already,  for  other  strong  reasons,  rejected  Men- 
nung's view  on  this  point.  He  holds  "  que  I'episode  des  geants  dans  la  source  de 
Carduino  et  du  BI  ne  provient  pas  ^ Erec,  qu'il  represente  un  lieu  commun  des 
contes  celtiques." 

3  Studies,  p.  144. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descomis.  153 

hand  in  all  directions  for  material ;  "  but,  of  course,  no  one  would 
hold  that  the  agreements  between  Per.  and  the  Desc.  poems  could 
be  due  to  a  borrowing  by  the  former  from  the  latter.  Only  a  few  of 
the  elements  which  we  have  regarded  as  significant  in  our  comparison 
are  peculiar  to  Per.  and  are  not  found  in  other  forms  of  the  Perceval 
story.^  These  few  features  are  matters  of  detail  which  are  much 
more  likely  to  be  remnants  of  a  primitive  form  than  to  be  modifica- 
tions produced  by  outside  influence.  It  is  hardly  conceivable  that 
the  author  of  Per.  or  of  its  source  should  have  been  so  impressed  by 
these  details  as  intentionally  to  have  altered  his  original  in  accord- 
ance with  them  or  to  have  had  his  memory  confused  by  them.  Nor 
would  any  one  contend  that  the  Desc.  poems  are  taken  from  Peredur. 
That,  of  course,  is  out  of  the  question.  What  we  may  well  hold, 
however,  is  that  they  both  are,  to  some  extent,  based  on  one  original, 
from  which  they  have  developed  independently  of  each  other,  worked 
over  for  different  purposes  by  different  hands.  This  investigation 
may  then,  I  think,  be  said  to  show  that  Peredur  is  not  a  mere  work- 
ing over  of  the  Conie  dii  Graal,  but  is  based  to  a  large  extent  upon 
some  earlier  version  of  the  Perceval  story,  which,  we  may  add,  went 
back,  in  all  probability  (though  not  necessarily  directly)  to  a  Celtic 
story.  But  it  is  not  with  the  origin  of  the  Peredur  that  we  have  now 
to  do.  When  we  return  to  the  Desc.  poems  we  see,  as  I  have  said, 
that  not  only  the  introduction,  but  the  groundwork  of  the  form  we 
have  thought  most  primitive,  is  but  a  development  of  the  Perceval 
saga.  Here,  however,  the  story  branched  out  along  different  lines. 
The  author  of  the  earliest  poem  of  our  cycle  had  doubtless  no  desire 
to  keep  close  to  his  original.  Indeed,  he  could  better  show  his 
originality  by  choosing,  as  he  has  done,  a  few  only  of  the  incidents 
to  elaborate  in  a  way  peculiar  to  himself.  He  added  the  7?idrehen 
of  the  Jier  baiser,  and  changed  his  story  to  suit  the  new  situation. 
The  hero  is  given  a  new  name,  and  the  separation  of  the  poem  from 
its  original  cycle  is  now  complete. 

We  are  now  in  a  position  to  decide  with  comparative  certainty 
what  were  the  leading  features  of  the  oldest  ascertainable  form  of 


^  Cf.  Nutt,  Studies,  pp.  132  ff.  That  the  serpent  episode  is  not  found  in  the 
other  versions  does  not  interfere  with  our  argument.  The  adventure  of  the  fier 
baiser  might  easily  have  become  attached  to  our  hero,  even  if  there  was  no  such 
hint  in  the  original. 


154  '^'  i^-  Schofidd. 

our  story.  In  this  reconstruction  we  are  justified  in  including 
(with  some  reservations)  those  significant  features  which  Pcrcdur 
has  in  common  with  Car.  or  BI  or  LD,  and  those  which  Car.  has 
in  common  with  LD  or  BI  or  Wig. 


Version  A. 

In  all  probability,  then,  there  was  a  form  of  the  story  which  ran 
somewhat  as  follows  : 

1.  Introduction.  A  possible  invocation  for  help  in  telling  the  story 
(as  in  Car.,  LD)  ;  then,  in  brief,  an  account  of  the  death  of  the 
hero's  father  (P.  and  Car.)  ;  of  the  flight  of  his  mother  to  the  woods 
to  keep  her  son  ignorant  of  warfare ;  his  being  brought  up  in  isola- 
tion there  ;  his  roaming  about  the  woods  hunting  wild  beasts  until 
he  learns  by  accident  of  the  existence  of  other  human  beings  than 
those  he  had  before  known,  and  his  determination,  despite  his 
mother's  wishes,  to  go  to  King  Arthur's  court  (P.,  Car.,  LD)  ;  his 
mother's  instructions  as  to  his  future  conduct ;  a  possible  stop  at  some 
place  on  the  way  (P.,  Car.)  ;  and  his  arrival  at  court,  unknown  and 
unexpected  (P.,  Car.,  LD,  BI). 

2.  At  the  Court  he  is  welcomed  by  the  king,  who  at  once  inquires 
who  he  is,  and  is  told  by  the  boy  that  he  does  not  know  anything  of 
his  father,  but  that  he  himself  wishes  to  be  made  a  knight.  His 
request  is  granted  and  a  feast  is  prepared  for  him.  While  all  are  at 
table,  a  beautiful  young  lady  rides  up,  accompanied  by  a  dwarf,  and 
begs  that  some  very  brave  knight  be  given  her  to  free  a  lady  who  is 
in  distress.  The  young  knight  at  once  offers  himself,  and  the  king 
approves;  but  his  youth  being  apparent,  he  is  declared  by  one  of  the 
messengers  to  be  unequal  to  the  task,  and  a  request  is  made  for  a 
more  experienced  warrior.  The  king,  however,  holds  to  his  decision, 
and  the  messengers  must  accept  him  or  none.  The  boy  is  properly 
equipped,  takes  leave  of  the  king,  joins  the  messengers,  and  as  they 
ride  to  the  land  of  the  princess  in  distress  they  meet  with  several 
adventures. 

3.  The  first  of  these  is  with  a  knight  whose  habit  it  is  to  fight 
with  and  plunder  all  knights  who  come  that  way.  He  challenges  our 
hero,  who,  not  being  able  to  pass  otherwise,  accepts  the  struggle,  in 
which  he  overthrows  his  opponent.     The  latter  calls  for  mercy,  and 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconus.  155 

this  is  granted  on  condition  that  he  go  and  deliver  himself  up  to 
Arthur,  telling  him  who  has  sent  him.^ 

4.  The  agreement  of  P.  with  LD  and  BI  makes  it  probable  that 
there  came  next  a  fight  with  several  knights,  all  of  whom  are  over- 
thrown and  sent  to  Arthur. 

5.  Then  follows  a  fight  with  two  giants  for  the  rescue  of  a  maiden 
of  noble  family  whom  they  have  carried  off  by  force  from  her  father's 
castle  near  by,  and  whom  one  of  them  is  then  holding  in  his  embrace, 
whilst  the  other  is  roasting  some  flesh  on  a  spit  over  a  great  fire. 
The  travellers,  after  they  have  settled  down  to  spend  the  night  in 
a  wood,  hear  the  cries  of  the  unhappy  ntiaiden.  The  hero  cannot 
refrain  from  rushing  off  to  her  rescue  alone.  In  his  fight  with  the 
giant  by  the  fire,  the  latter  probably  defends  himself  by  using  as  a 
weapon  the  spit  he  is  roasting  with ;  but  the  young  knight  pierces 
him  to  the  heart  with  a  spear.  The  second  giant  probably  defends 
himself  with  a  stick  of  some  kind  which  is  near  by,  but  he  also  is 
killed.  The  maiden,  now  freed  from  her  persecutors,  tells  who  she 
is  and  how  she  happens  to  be  in  that  plight.  They  all  sit  down  full 
of  joy  and  regale  themselves  with  some  food  taken  from  the  giants 
(probably  the  flesh  they  were  roasting).  When  morning  comes,  the 
hero,  the  messenger,  and  the  dwarf  continue  their  journey  (and  pos- 
sibly nothing  more  is  said  of  the  rescued  maiden)  ? 

6.  Then  follows  a  stay  of  one  night  at  the  home  of  an  enchantress. 


1  One  cannot  be  certain  whether  the  first  adventure  took  precisely  this  form  so 
early.  In  P.  and  Car.  the  boy  is  incited  by  motives  of  revenge,  and  it  is  possible 
that  the  knight  may  have  been  killed  outright,  as  in  Car.  and  Wig. 

2  As  this  account  is  almost  the  same  in  Car.,  LD,  and  BI,  we  are  justified  in 
supposing  it  to  be  the  form  of  the  version  which  we  are  reconstructing;  but  some 
of  the  details  are  not  in  Peredtir.  These  may  have  been  introduced  from  some 
source  other  than  the  Perceval  saga,  or  their  absence  in  Peredtir  may  be  due  to 
omission.  We  have  the  cries  of  the  woman  in  distress  heard  by  the  young  knight 
in  the  wood,  and  his  hastening  to  the  rescue,  in  both  P.  and  Erec ;  but  in  both 
cases  her  cries  are  caused  by  her  lover's  being  ill-treated  or  killed.  There  is  no 
fire  or  roasting,  and  the  adventure  is  not  one  of  the  night  when  the  company  have 
settled  down  for  rest.  On  the  whole,  we  may  conjecture  that  the  incident  as  told 
in  P.  gave  the  suggestion,  which  was  filled  out  with  considerable  changes  by  the 
author  of  the  version  now  under  consideration.  Wig.  agrees  with  P.  in  having 
one  giant's  life  spared  on  condition  that  he  look  after  the  maiden  and  go  to 
Arthur.  lie  does  so  at  once,  and  there  is  great  rejoicing  at  court.  In  LD  the 
heads  of  the  giants  are  sent  to  Arthur. 


156  II '.  H.   Schoficld. 

This  was  not  a  specially  important  feature  of  the  story.  It  was 
merely  an  incident  in  the  journey,  and  was  never  again  referred  to. 
There  is  no  love  lost  between  the  young  hero  and  the  enchantress, 
and  he  has  no  desire  to  return.  He  probably  seeks  lodging  at  the 
castle  and  is  received  in  a  friendly  way  by  the  people,  as  well  as  by 
the  lady  of  the  place,  who  is  sole  ruler  and  is  much  skilled  in  sorcery. 
They  have  a  repast,  and  then  the  knight  retires.  During  the  night 
he  is  subjected  to  some  sort  of  unpleasant  deception,  probably 
because  he  disobeys  orders  which  the  enchantress  has  previously 
given  him.  He  may  have  received  a  warning  from  his  companion, 
after  the  meal,  not  to  linger  in  the  place.  In  the  morning  he  is  quite 
willing  to  set  out  on  his  journey.  Whether  there  was  as  yet  a  fight 
to  free  the  lady  from  the  power  of  some  one  who  wished  to  marry 
her  is  hard  to  tell.  The  Welsh  makes  it  probable,  whilst  its  absence 
in  Car.  and  the  lady's  general  character  as  a  sorceress  make  against  it. 

7.  He  probably  comes  next  to  another  castle  and  obtains  admit- 
tance, but  is  obliged  by  the  customs  of  the  place  to  fight  with  the 
lord.^  He  is  expected  to  suffer  the  fate  so  many  others  have  met 
before  him  ;  but  he  surprises  all  by  overthrowing  his  opponent.  The 
evening  is  spent  in  eating,  drinking,  and  conversation.  The  next 
day  the  young  knight  is  given  information  by  this  same  lord  about 
the  serpent  near  by  and  the  way  to  reach  it. 

8.  At  any  rate,  before  he  enters  the  place  where  the  serpent  is,  he 
is  told  something  of  what  he  is  to  expect  and  what  he  is  to  do  and 
what  to  leave  undone  there. 

9.  This  serpent  is  a  transformed  princess  who  is  kept  in  this  shape 
by  magic.  There  is  probably  but  one  magician,  and  he  possibly 
makes  an  attempt  to  lure  the  hero  over  a  threshold,  to  cross  which 
would  have  caused  his  death ;  but  the  knight,  being  informed  of  his 
cunning,  does  not  fall  into  the  snare.  The  hero  kills  the  magician, 
and  then  voluntarily,  although  with  much  trepidation,  kisses  the  ser- 
pent on  the  mouth.  Immediately  she  is  transformed  into  a  most 
beautiful  woman,  who  at  once  offers  her  love  to  her  rescuer.  He 
accepts  it  gladly,  and,  after  a  time  of  great  rejoicing  at  the  disen- 

^  For  this  not  uncommon  feature  cf.  Foerster,  Erec^  Einl.,  p.  xv  {Yvain;  P. 
Paris,  Horn,  de  la  Table  Honde,  III,  359);  prose  Lancelot  (P.  Paris,  op.  ciL,  V, 
266);  Claris  et  Laris,  41 71  ff.,  26855  ff-J  Livre  d'Arlus,  Version  P  (Freymond, 
Zi.  f.  franz.  Sp.  u.  Litt.,  XVII,  46,  65);  Blancandin,  ed.  Michelant,  894  ff. 


Studies  on  the  Libcaiis  Descomis.  157 

chanted  city,  the  two  set  out  together  for  Arthur's  court,  where  they 
are  heartily  welcomed.  The  parentage  of  the  young  man  is  made 
known ;  possibly  his  mother  appears ;  and  he,  receiving  the  king's 
approval,  marries  the  princess.  A  great  throng  accompanies  the 
wedded  pair  on  their  way  back  to  the  wife's  country.  The  hero  is 
made  ruler  there,  and  lives  happily  for  many  years  with  his  beautiful 
wife  (who  perhaps  bears  him  a  son  who  later  rivals  the  glorious 
achievements  of  his  father). 

This  version  I  shall  call  A.  We  do  not  know  in  what  language  it 
was  written,  but  it  was  probably  French. 

Version  B. 

Version  A  is  next  worked  over  by  a  French  poet,  in  whose  hands 
it  becomes  longer  and  more  detailed.  The  hero  is  made  to  under- 
take at  least  two  new  adventures  on  his  way  to  the  enchanted  city, 
while  new  features  are  added  and  changes  are  made  in  the  adven- 
tures of  version  A. 

I.  The  introduction  is  left  much  as  it  was;  but  the  following 
changes  are  made  : 

(a)  There  is  now  no  question  of  a  slain  father,  for  we  are  told  at 
once  that  the  boy's  father  is  no  other  than  Gawein,  and  that  his  own 
name  is  Gtiinglain,  although  he  has  always  been  called  Belfil  by  his 
mother  \  that  he  comes  to  court  in  ignorance  of  his  own  name,  and 
that  the  king,  because  of  his  beauty  and  the  mystery  of  his  birth, 
calls  him  Li  Beans  JDescojieus.  After  having  been  favorably  received, 
he  begs  Arthur  for  permission  to  undertake,  as  a  test  of  his  valor, 
the  first  adventure  that  presents  itself.  His  request  is  granted,  and 
he  is  given  over  to  Gawein  for  instruction  in  knightly  ways.  He 
receives  suitable  attire.     All  the  court  wash  and  go  to  meat. 

{b)  The  name  of  the  messenger  is  {H)e/ie  {Elene).  She  rides  a 
white  horse,  and  some  little  account  is  given  of  her  appearance. 

(^)  The  dwarf  is  called  Tidogolain.  He  is  skilled  in  music,  and 
is  also  described.  Probably  he,  as  well  as  Elie,  makes  objection  to 
the  sending  of  Libeaus. 

{d)  Lib.  at  once  claiming  the  adventure,  the  king  readily  accedes, 
and  is  not  moved  by  the  entreaties  and  sneers  of  the  messengers. 
They  must  be  satisfied  with  Lib.  or  none. 


158  U:  II.  Schoficld. 

(t-)  Trobably  the  messenger  rides  away  in  anger  without  the  prof- 
fered kniglit,  who  overtakes  her  later.' 

(/)  Possibly  at  Arthur's  command  four  of  the  best  knights, 
Gawein,  Perceval,  Iwein,  and  Agravain,  arm  Lib.  with  splendid 
arm  or. - 

(c)  Lib.  receives  Arthur's  blessing.  He  sets  out  for  the  city 
Senaudon. 

2.  The  first  adventure  with  the  single  knight  occurs  at  a  place 
called  Perilous.  The  knight's  appearance  is  described.  He  is 
always  there  on  the  lookout  for  passing  knights,  and  is  ever  ready  to 
fight  with  them.  If  defeated,  they  suffer  shame  and  are  deprived  of 
their  belongings.  Contrary  to  expectation,  Lib.  is  the  victor.  Up 
to  this  time  at  least,  t'ne  messenger  has  had  no  confidence  in  him, 
and  has  not  ceased  to  chide  him.  The  knight  is  forced  to  promise 
to  go  to  Arthur.  He  is  to  say  that  he  has  been  sent  by  Li  Beans 
Desconeiis. 

3.  The  result  of  this  conflict  paves  the  way  for  a  new  adventure 
which  is  now  introduced.  The  conquered  knight  meets  on  his  way 
to  Arthur's  court  three  other  knights  (possibly  his  nephews).  He 
tells  them  how  he  has  been  shamed,  and  gives  them  the  young 
knight's  name.  They  start  off  at  once  to  take  revenge.  The  next 
morning  they  overtake  Lib.  and  his  companions  going  along  gleefully, 
challenge  Lib.  to  fight,  and  find  him  ready  for  them.  He  conquers 
all,  and  one  or  more  of  them  are  sent  to  Arthur.  Lib.  and  his  com- 
panions continue  their  journey  until  nightfall,  when  they  prepare  a 
place  in  which  to  spend  the  night. 

4.  In  the  adventure  with  the  giants  Uttle  change  is  made.  The 
giant  holding  the  maiden  is  the  one  who  is  killed  first.  The  rescued 
maiden  expresses  her  gratitude  to  Lib.,  and  tells  how  she  was  carried 
away  from  her  father's  garden  by  the  two  giants,  who  were  in  a  place 
of  concealment  there.  We  cannot  be  sure  how  the  young  woman 
was  disposed  of. 

5.  A  new  adventure  was  probably  inserted  here.  As  they  are  riding 
along,  they  see  a  most  beautiful  little  dog  of  all  colors,  which  6lie  at 

^  In  this  point  BI  and  Wig.  agree.  In  Car.  the  hero  and  the  dwarf  go  together, 
the  messenger  apart.     In  LD  all  three  go  together. 

2  This  is  only  inserted  because  the  English  author  declares  it  was  in  his  French 
source.     His  statement  may  or  may  not  be  true.  ' 


Studies  on  tJie  Libeaus  Desconiis.  159 

once  admires  and  covets.  Lib.  catches  it  and  gives  it  to  her,  and 
they  go  on,  talking  joyfully  by  the  way.  Soon,  however,  the  owner 
rides  up.  He  is  finely  dressed  and  carries  a  bugle.  He  asks  for  the 
dog,  but  Lib.  refuses  to  return  it,  and  meets  his  threats  with  defiance. 
The  knight  goes  back  in  anger  to  his  castle  to  get  his  arms,  and 
returns  later.  There  is  a  fierce  conflict,  but  at  last  the  knight  is 
overcome  and  forced  to  go  to  Arthur.     Elie  keeps  the  dog. 

6.  Another  new  adventure  now  follows,  viz.  the  competition  for 
the  sparrow-hawk.  This  needs  to  be  discussed  by  itself,  and  is  there- 
fore left  for  a  separate  section  (see  below,  p.  164). 

7.  Some  important  changes  have  been  made  in  the  visit  to  the 
castle  of  the  enchantress,  although  probably  the  general  features 
remain  the  same.  As  we  have  only  BI  and  LD  to  help  us  here,  and 
as  they  are  almost  entirely  unlike  in  this  part  of  the  story,  we  cannot 
with  any  certainty  tell  just  what  was  the  exact  form  of  their  original. 
There  are,  however,  some  new  features  which  must  have  distinguished 
it  from  the  older  version. 

{a)  The  name  of  the  city  is  the  lie  cf  Or. 

{b)  The  privilege  of  lying  with  the  enchantress  can  only  be  had 
by  overcoming  a  knight  (or  giant)  who  is  ever  in  readiness  to  fight 
with  all  who  come  to  the  castle. 

{c)  His  name  is  Malgiers,  and  he  has  been  at  his  post  for  some 
time. 

(rt^)  He  is  heartily  disliked  by  the  lady  of  the  castle,  as  well  as 
her  followers,  and  all  long  to  get  rid  of  him. 

(<?)  Lib.  kills  him,  after  a  terrible  struggle,  and  the  people  show 
their  joy.  They  conduct  him  to  the  palace.  Here  his  armor  is 
removed,  and  he  is  lovingly  welcomed  by  the  lady,  who  is  very 
beautiful  and  skilled  in  magic. 

(/)   She  at  once  offers  to  marry  him,  and  he  makes  no  objection. 

{g)  filie,  seeing  his  infatuation,  brings  him  to  reason  by  calling  to 
his  memory  his  real  mission,  and  the  dishonor  any  delay  in  perform- 
ing it  would  bring  on  him  and  Arthur. 

(Ji)  He  is  thus  for  a  time  enthralled  by  the  charms  of  the  lady ; 
but  before  he  departs  he  repents  of  his  passing  weakness. 

These  features  {a-h^  must  have  been  in  Version  B.  When  we 
try,  however,  to  decide  whether  Lib.'s  opponent  was  a  courageous 
but  tyrannical  knight  in  splendid  attire,  or  a  hideous  heathen  giant ; 


i6o  JV.  H.  Schoficld. 

and  whether  there  was  a  custom  that  the  lady  of  the  castle  could  only 
be  won  by  a  knight  who  should  defeat  all  comers  for  seven  years, 
the  present  knight  having  but  two  years  more  to  serve,  or  whether 
a  giant  had  bcleid  the  castle  round  about  and  was  filling  the  people 
with  terror,  we  are  certainly  at  a  loss.  If  we  were  to  decide  the  case 
on  grounds  of  probability,  we  should  have  to  conclude  that  the  first 
alternative  in  each  case,  i.e.,  the  account  as  given  in  BI,  is  the  more 
likely,  and  the  narration  in  Peredui-  would  strengthen  this  opinion. 
Still  we  may  feel  confident  that,  in  its  present  shape,  BI,  with  its  details 
and  elaborations,  does  not  represent  this  part  of  Version  B  in  more 
than  general  features.  As  we  have  seen  (p.  io8),  above,  Renaud 
identified  the  lady  of  the  castle  with  his  loved  one,  and  many  changes 
were  doubtless  made  on  this  account.  It  is  probable  that  in  Ver- 
sion B  she  was  called  la  dame  d^ Amour  (see  above,  p.  136). 
Renaud,  doubtless,  did  not  hesitate  to  change  the  original  name  for 
one  he  thought  more  suitable,  especially  when  the  latter  was  very 
common  and  was  the  name  given  to  Ysolde,  the  best  exemplar  of 
true  love.  It  is  of  course  possible  that,  in  Version  B,  the  enchant- 
ress was  also  called  la  fee  as  blances  mains  and  yet  that  every  trace 
of  this  should  disappear  in  LD. 

It  is  not  improbable  that,  during  the  night  at  the  castle,  Lib., 
because  he  was  not  chast,  and  could  not  wait  until  they  should  be 
married  before  attempting  to  gratify  his  desires,  had  to  suffer  "  traie 
and  tene  "  by  being  mortified  in  the  extreme  by  just  such  events  as 
happen  to  the  hero  in  BI  when,  on  his  return  visit,  he  spends  his 
first  night  in  the  castle.  These  events  almost  certainly  belonged 
here,  as  the  similar  ones  have  this  place  in  Car. ;  and  although  the 
English  poet  omits  them,  he  leaves  a  clear  trace  of  them.  There  is 
not  the  slightest  necessity  to  believe,  with  Kaluza,  that  the  words 
"aftirward  at  j^e  last,"  in  LD,  1505,  refer  to  a  second  visit  to  the 
place,  and  that  therefore  the  English  poet  must  have  seen  BI.  It 
is  very  clear  that  he  does  not  tell  the  whole  story  of  the  specific 
enchantments,  though  he  probably  had  it  before  him ;  he  sums  up 
the  account  with  a  few  vague  generalities.  Kaluza's  interpretation 
of  these  words  (^Lib.  Desc,  p.  cxxxviii.)  is  rejected  by  Paris,  Rom.. 
XX,  298,  who  shows  that,  on  Kaluza's  theory,  the  English  poet 
would,  in  using  them,  have  been  guilty  of  a  gross  inconsistency.  The 
convincing  arguments  of  Paris  need  not  be  here   repeated.     The 


Studies  on  the  Li  beans  Dcscomis.  i6l 

words  "  aftirward  at  pe  last "  merely  refer  to  the  delay  in  the  execu- 
tion of  the  hero's  mission  which  was  caused  by  his  giving  in  to  the 
enchantress's  wiles. 

In  this  connection  we  should  observe  that  the  English  poet  is  reck- 
less about  the  amount  of  time  he  assigns  to  different  adventures.  If 
Kaluza's  reading  be  right/  LD  stays  no  less  than  a  year  at  the  He 
d'Or ;  he  remains  with  Sir  Otes  a  fortnight ;  he  gives  a  feast  at 
Cardevile  which  lasts  forty  days ;  he  stays  feasting  with  Arthur 
another  forty  days ;  and  takes  as  well  a  side-trip  into  Ireland  and 
Wales,  where  he  sees  terrible  adventures  which,  fortunately,  the  poet 
does  not  specify.  And  yet  this  is  the  poet  whom  Kaluza  pictures  as 
having  such  a  keen  appreciation  of  what  was  fitting  in  a  romance, 
who  cut  out  a  vast  deal  of  his  original  because  he  thought  it  was 
unnecessary  or  marred  the  beauty  of  the  whole,  who  shifted  the 
adventures  about  when  he  saw  they  were  out  of  place,  who  changed 
the  characters  of  his  hero  and  the  messenger  that  they  might  suit  his 
taste  better,  who  omitted  one  of  the  leading  personages  altogether, 
and  who  dropped  whatever  was  improbable  or  inconsistent,  —  and 
thus,  strangely  enough,  felt  his  way  back  each  time  to  what  we  know 
to  be  a  more  primitive  form  of  the  story.  Certainly  to  a  poet  who 
would  go  about  his  work  in  this  way,  "  zusammengehoriges  auch 
zusammen  zu  behandeln,  vorhandene  unebenheiten  auszugleichen," 
etc.  {Introd.,  p.  cxxxxiii.),  the  following  remark  would  be  applicable  : 
"AUes  in  allem  genommen  zeigt  der  verfasser  des  Lib.  Desc.  eine 
weit  grossere  selbstandigkeit  im  verhaltniss  zu  seiner  vorlage,  als 
mancher  andere  me.  romanzendichter  "  {Intt'od.,  p.  cxlv.). 

As  to  the  length  of  time  which  these  different  stays  occupied  in 
LD,  as  opposed  to  the  other  poems,  we  may  say  that  the  statements 
are  entirely  harmless,  and  to  a  great  extent  meaningless.  The  main 
thing  is  that  the  English  author  never  thinks  of  telling  us  what  went 
on  in  these  periods.  Never  is  the  progress  of  the  story  impeded  in 
any  way,  and  we  skip  comfortably  over  the  break  which  our  author 
tells  us  about,  almost  heedless  of  his  remark. 

Kaluza  informs  us  (p.  cxxxxiv.)  :  "  Gar  zu  unwahrscheinliche  dinge 
werden  von  den  englischen  bearbeitern  gern  weggelassen  oder  auf 


^  The  Ashmole  and  Naples  MSS.  give  the  time  as  three  weeks.     Strangely 
enough  this  is  the  length  of  time  Peredur  lingers  at  this  point  in  the  story. 
M 


i62  ir.  II.  Scho field. 

natiirlichere  weise  erklart.  So  vcrmisseu  wir  z.  b.  in  LD  die  stimme 
dcr  fee,  welche  in  BI,  v,  3186  flf.,  nacli  erfolgter  entzauberung  der 
dame  dem  heklen  iiber  seine  abstammung  aufschluss  giebt,  ihm 
seinen  wirklichen  nanien  '  Guinglain  '  nennt,"  etc.  This  is  certainly 
doing  honor  to  the  EngUsh  poet,  but  we  must  remember  that  he  did 
not  in  all  probability  find  this  particular  feature  in  his  original,  and 
could  not  therefore  leave  it  out,  and  further  that  his  practice  in  other 
cases  does  not  justify  Kaluza's  high  opinion  of  his  artistic  insight. 
For  example,  we  learn  (what  is  not  in  BI)  that  when  LD  returns  to 
find  Irain,  whom  he  left  lying  on  the  ground  when  he  went  to  fight 
with  Mabon,  he  is  terrified  to  see  that  invisible  powers  have  carried 
him  away.  What  is  a  magic  voice  compared  with  this?  We  are 
asked  to  believe  that  the  English  poet  leaves  out  the  magic  voice 
because  it  is  improbable,  when  in  the  next  breath  he  introduces  a 
greater  wonder.  We  might  ask  also  how  much  more  probable  the 
English  author  made  the  struggle  with  those  who  were  angered  at 
LD's  refusal  to  give  up  the  dog.  In  BI  the  knight  rides  to  the 
castle,  arms,  and  returns  alone  to  fight  with  the  hero.  The  author  of 
LD,  however,  is  supposed  to  have  changed  the  account  thus :  The 
knight  goes  to  his  castle,  summons  all  his  friends,  and  tells  them  of 
his  trouble.  They  all  arm  and  mount  their  horses  "  for  har  lordes 
sake  "  and  come  against  LD  together. 

Wil'  bowers  and  wil:>  arblaste 
To  him  I'ey  schote  faste 

And  made  him  woundes  wide.     (1174  ff-) 

But  this -does  not  trouble  the  hero.  He  soon  dispatches  them  all. 
He  is  now  afflicted  "wij)  grimly  woundes  sare ;  "  but  what  matter? 
Twelve  fresh  knights  put  in  an  appearance,  the  lord  himself  among 
them,  with  no  mild  intent. 

pay  smitte  to  him  at  ones 
And  hou5te  to  breke  his  bones 

And  fille  liim  doun  in  fi5t.     (1198  ff.) 

LD  slays  three,  and  four  flee.  The  lord  and  his  four  sons  remain 
"  to  sell  har  lives  dere,"  and  LD  fights  all  five  at  once.  He  is 
knocked  off  his  horse  ;  but  three  strokes  of  his  axe  suffice  to  remove 
the  heads  of  three  of  his  opponents'  horses,  and  the  lord  deems  it 
policy  to  flee.     LD,  however,  has  energy  enough  left  to  ride  after 


Studies  on  the  Libeans  Desconus.  163 

him,  and  he  succeeds  in  overtaking  him  and  making  him  promise  to 
go  to  Arthur.  Not  satisfied  with  this,  the  Enghsh  poet  summons 
"  gentill  men  fiftene  "  to  accompany  Elene  to  the  castle.  Far  from 
being  offended  at  the  death  of  such  a  goodly  company  of  his  friends, 

pe  lord  was  glad  and  blile 
And  honked  fele  si^e 

God  and  saint  Michell, 
t?at  swich  a  noble  kni^t 
Schulde  winne  in  fijt 

His  lady  fair  and  hende.     (1270  ff.) 

To  complete  the  confusion,  the  author  thus  makes  this  very  knight  a 
some-time  follower  of  the  princess  of  Senaudon,  who  has  fled  for  fear 
into  Wirral(!)  on  the  enchantment  of  his  mistress.  It  is  surely  impos- 
sible, in  the  light  of  these  facts,  to  maintain  such  a  contention  as 
that  made  by  Kaluza. 

But  to  return  from  this  long  digression,  we  may  say  tnat  it  seems 
probable  that  the  head-covered  lances  were  a  feature  of  the  castle  of 
the  He  d'Or,  as  in  BI,  and  not  of  the  castle  belonging  to  the  owner 
of  the  sparrow-hawk,  as  in  LD. 

8.  It  is  quite  probable  that  in  Version  B  it  was  told  that,  on  leaving 
the  castle.  Lib.  took  with  him  the  steward  and  made  him  his  squire. 

9.  A  good  many  new  features  have  been  introduced  into  the  advent- 
ure with  the  last  knight,  which  now  runs  as  follows.  Just  before  the 
party  reach  Senaudon,  they  arrive  at  a  beautiful  castle,  where  every 
knight  who  comes  obtains  lodging  only  by  jousting  with  the  lord,  who 
is  called  Lavipart.  If  the  stranger  wins,  he  is  treated  with  distinc- 
tion ;  if  he  loses,  he  is  turned  away  in  shame  and  pelted  with  mud 
and  fen  by  the  people  of  the  town.  This  information  is  given  Lib. 
by  ifclie,  who  fears  for  his  safety  if  he  goes  to  the  place,  but  never- 
theless urges  him  to  go.  A  fight  is  soon  arranged  with  the  lord,  who 
is  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  an  encounter.  The  conflict  is  fierce. 
Lances  are  broken  ;  but  finally  Lampart  is  knocked  off  his  steed,  and 
he  yields  to  Lib.  He  is  the  steward  of  the  transformed  princess, 
and  receives  the  young  hero  gladly.  They  sit  down  to  supper,  and 
in  the  morning  Lib.  sets  out  for  the  enchanted  city. 

10.  The  account  of  the  adventures  at  Senaudon  probably  remained 
in  B  much  as  it  was  in  A,     B  contained,  however,  the   following 


i64  //'.  //.   Schoficld. 

variations  :  (</)  Whatever  description  of  the  city  is  given,  is  given 
by  Lampart.  (/')  The  hall  is  full  of  minstrels  playing  on  all  sorts  of 
instruments  with  torches  before  them.  They  can  disappear  suddenly, 
(^)  There  are  tiuo  magicians  whose  names  are  Maboii  and  Irain. 
(</)  Lib.  kills  one  ;  but  the  other,  although  badly  wounded,  escapes. 
He  was  probably  carried  off  mysteriously,  {e)  The  serpent  kisses 
Lib.  (not  the  reverse).  (/)  After  the  kiss  has  been  given,  it  is 
revealed  to  him  (in  all  probability  by  the  rescued  princess  herself) 
that  he  is  the  son  of  Gawein. 

The  Sparrow- Hawk  Adventure. 

It  is  not  easy  to  determine  what  were  the  exact  features  of  this 
adventure  in  Version  B,  in  which  it  seems  to  have  been  for  the  first 
time  introduced  into  the  Desc.  story.  It  was  probably  a  borrowing 
from  Erec}  and,  if  so,  we  might  expect  its  form  to  be  somewhat  like 
that  in  Chretien's  poem ;  but  the  different  setting  of  the  incident  in 
the  two  poems  must  have  affected  its  features.  In  Erec,  for  example, 
we  have  the  hero  riding  along  alone,  and  he  is  forced  to  get  some 
fair  companion  if  he  wishes  to  enter  into  the  competition  for  the 
sparrow-hawk,  while  in  Desc.  the  hero  has  already  a  companion. 
Then  too  the  defender  of  the  hawk  Erec  finds  to  be  his  enemy  upon 
whom  he  had  vowed  revenge  for  a  wrong  which  does  not  enter  into 
the  Desc.  poems,  and  thus  this  feature  would  have  to  be  omitted. 
Further  Erec  falls  in  love  with  the  young  woman  whom  he  cham- 
pions, and  later  marries  her.  In  neither  LD  nor  BI  could  this  be,  for 
in  these  poems  the  only  suitable  ending  for  the  story  is  to  have  Lib. 
marry  the  princess  whom  he  frees  from  her  serpent  form.  Thes€ 
important  features  being  inadmissible  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  we 
may  conjecture  better  what  Version  B  contained. 

BI  and  Wig.  agree  in  introducing  here  a  new  female  character 
whom  the  hero  meets  by  the  way,  and  who  tells  him  of  the  adventure. 
She  is  very  beautiful  and  has  merited  the  prize,  of  which,  however, 
she  has  been  forcibly  deprived  by  a  knight  who  wished  it  for  his 
amie.  The  young  woman  is  now  in  great  distress,  and  the  hero 
volunteers  to  aid  her  to  obtain  her  rights.  The  party  ride  on  to  the 
castle  together. 

1  See  Mennung,  p.  49;  Paris,  Ro7n.,  XX,  300;  W.  Foerster,  Erec,  Introd.,  p.  xv. 


Studies  on  the  Libeans  Descomis.  165 

This  agreement  between  BI  and  Wig.  seems  to  indicate  that  this 
new  character  was  also  in  Version  B.^  If  so,  it  was  probably  intro- 
duced in  order  that  the  French  poet  might  get  on  common  ground 
with  Chretien  in  the  account  the  latter  gives  in  Erec.  The  story  in 
LD,  however,  is  so  reasonable  and  has  itself  so  many  points  of  agree- 
ment with  Erec,  that  we  cannot  admit  the  introduction  of  this  new 
character  into  Version  B  without  some  misgivings.  At  any  rate  we 
can  understand  what  led  the  author  of  LD  to  make  the  young 
knight's  companion  the  one  who  is  put  into  competition  for  the  prize. 
Be  it  noted  first  that  in  E)-ec,  as  in  LD,  the  young  lady  strives  only 
once  for  the  hawk,  and  in  no  version  except  BI  is  there  any  mention 
of  a  previous  lover  killed  in  the  undertaking.  Enide,  moreover, 
becomes  the  constant  companion  of  Erec,  and  shares  his  adventures. 
In  the  same  way  it  is  for  his  constant  companion,  Elene,  that  the 
hero  in  the  English  poem  fights.  Further,  in  LD,  as  in  Erec,  the 
young  lady  is  unexpectedly  asked  to  compete,  and  must  make  special 
preparation.  A  glance,  however,  at  the  respective  positions  which 
Enide  and  6lie  occupy,  with  regard  to  the  hero,  may  account  for  the 
change  made  in  LD.  In  the  French  poem  it  is  Enide  with  whom 
the  young  knight  is  in  love;  she  is  the  heroine  of  the  story,  whom 
the  hero  is  to  marry.  It  would  not  have  been  artistic,  it  would  not 
be  acceptable  to  us  even,  to  have  her  less  beautiful  than  an  unnamed 
minor  character  in  the  story,  —  the  ainie  of  a  knight,  mentioned  only, 
in  this  connection.  In  LD,  however,  Elene  is  only  the  messenger 
who  brought  news  of  the  princess's  trouble  and  who  is  now  merely 
acting  as  a  guide.  LD  has  no  love  whatever  for  her.  She  merely 
gives  him  an  opportunity  to  show  his  valor ;  and  we  are  not  surprised 
or  disturbed  at  her  not  winning  the  prize. 

This  brings  us  to  the  other  questions  as  to  the  form  of  this  advent- 
ure in  Version  B  :  Was  the  competition  a  special  event  occurring 
just  then,  or  could  any  passer-by  proffer  claims  for  the  prize  at  any 
time  ?  Was  there  any  real  trial  of  beauty,  and,  if  so,  who  were  the 
judges  ? 

It  would  seem  most  probable  that  there  was  a  special  gathering,  a 
great  tournament,  to  which  people  were  summoned  from  all  parts, 


1  For  Wig.,  as  I  shall  try  to  show  later  (sec  pp.  215  ff.,  below)  is  not  derived 
from  BI  but  independent  of  it. 


106  //:  II.   Sc  ho  field. 

and  that  the  young  knight  and  his  companion  happened  to  come 
while  it  was  in  progress,  or  soon  after  the  tlecision  was  made.  There 
is  such  a  gathering  in  Ercc,  BI,  Duniuxrt^  Mcraugisj-  Wigalois,  and 
Geraint ;  LD  alone  does  not  tell  of  an  assembly  of  this  sort,  although 
a  crowd  of  spectators  seems  to  have  been  easily  secured.  If  then 
we  conclude  that  there  was  in  B  a  great  gathering,  the  important 
feature  of  which  was  to  be  the  presentation  of  a  splendid  sparrow- 
hawk  to  her  who  came  attended  by  a  champion  and  was  the  most 
beautiful,  it  seems  almost  certain  that  there  must  have  been  some 
sort  of  decision  as  to  the  claims  of  the  several  competitors.  This 
we  have  in  LD,  Wig.,  and  Meraugis  ;  but  not  in  Erec,  BI,  and  Dur- 
viart  (the  last  two,  however,  probably  borrowing  directly  or  indirecUy 
from  Erec^).  The  decision  was  probably  given  by  the  spectators, 
and  in  every  case  it  seems  to  have  been  unanimous,  one  lady  being 
by  general  consent  far  more  beautiful  than  the  others.  In  LD 
(949  ff.)  the  decision  is  told  thus : 

Bo)>e  men  gonne  hem  bring 
Two  chaiers  into  he  cheping, 

Har  beaute  to  descrie. 
pan  seiden  eld  and  jinge, 
For  so)',  \\\\>  oute  lesing, 

Betwene  hem  was  partie. 
'  Giffrouns  lemman  is  clere, 
As  rose  in  erbere, 

For  sol'  and  nou^t  to  lie. 
Elene.  he  messengere, 
Semel'  but  a  lavendere 

Of  her  norserie.' 

In  no  other  poem  is  the  decision  given  against  the  hero's  compan- 
ion ;  but  the  reason  why  it  is  so  in  LD  is  not  far  to  seek.  Here 
alone  is  that  companion  a  mere  messenger  and  not  a  loved  one. 
This  relation  is  emphasized  in  the  passage  just  quoted. 

The  decision,  however,  seems  in  no  case  to  have  been  final.     If 


^  Vv.  2005  ff. 

2  Raoul  de  Houdenc,  Meraugis  de  Portlesguez,  ed.  Michelant,  Paris,  1869, 
pp.  8  ff. 

^  See  Kirchrath,  Li  Romans  de  Durmart  le  Gallois  (in  Stengel,  Ausgaben  u. 
Abhandhmgen,  XXI),  1884,  p.  62.     Cf.  Mennung,  p.  17. 


Studies  on  the  Lib  cans  D  esc  onus.  167 

* 

any  knight  was  dissatisfied,  he  could  still  win  the  prize  by  overcoming 
the  champion  of  the  successful  young  woman.  LD,  BI,  Wig.,  and 
the  rest  all  have  to  fight  with  another  claimant ;  but,  of  course,  in 
each  case  the  hero  of  the  story  is  victorious.  In  Meraugis,  prob- 
ably by  confusion,  these  two  features  have  no  connection.  There 
are  two  prizes,  one  for  the  most  beautiful  woman,  and  the  other  for 
the  most  valiant  knight ;  and  the  fight  which  takes  place  is  only  to 
decide  the  claims  of  the  knights  for  the  latter. 

The  change  which  the  author  of  LD  seems  to  have  made,  in  that 
the  adventure  is  not  the  great  event  of  a  tournament  but  merely  due 
to  a  passing  challenge,  explains  some  other  variations  in  his  account. 
In  Erec,  BI,  etc.,  the  hawk  is  placed  on  its  perch,  in  sight  of  all, 
before  the  claimants  arrive,  while  LD  and  Elene  are  obliged  to  wait 
until  one  of  Giffroun's  squires  brings  it  with  him  to  the  place.  More- 
over, the  knight  is  not  prepared  to  fight  at  once  when  LD  comes. 
Both  have  to  wait  until  preparations  are  made.  It  is  not  an  event 
anticipated  by  either  party. 

LD  agrees  with  Erec,  as  opposed  to  BI,  in  the  following  points  : 

1.  There  is  no  special  provoking  cause  for  the  hero's  undertaking 
the  fight. 

2.  The  hero  remains  where  he  is  when  he  first  hears  of  the  affair 
all  that  night,  and  sets  about  the  undertaking  early  in  the  morning. 
BI  does  not  wait  at  all. 

3.  In  both  cases  he  makes  two  trips  in  the  morning,  first  with  only 
one  companion  (although  with  a  different  object  in  the  two  poems), 
returning  later  to  fetch  the  maiden  who  is  to  compete  for  the  prize. 
The  object  in  Erec  is  to  attend  mass.  In  LD  it  is  for  this  object 
that  the  lord  of  the  castle  is  up. 

4.  The  young  knight  wears  armor  in  which  he  has  never  before 
fought,  —  armor  given  him  by  a  friendly  old  knight  with  whom  he 
has  lodged,  in  Erec  by  his  host,  in  LD  by  Sir  Antore  ;  while  in  BI 
special  attention  is  called  to  the  way  his  helmet,  shield  and  hauberk 
are  battered  ;  no  new  armor  is  given  him. 

The  fact  that  BI  agrees  with  LD,  unhke  Erec,  in  making  the  lord 
of  the  castle  the  rival  claimant,  seems  to  settle  that  this  was  in  their 
original  B ;  and,  if  so,  it  becomes  less  probable  that  there  was  a  great 
concourse  of  knights  to  contend  with  the  knight  who  was  their  host. 
Perhaps,  after  all,  LD  represents  best  Version  B  in  this  point  also. 


i6S  II '.  //.  Schoficld. 

This  does  not  mean,  of  course,  that  LD  represents  the  original  and 
best  form  of  the  general  sparrow-hawk  story  as  it  is  found  in  so  many 
places  ;  but  merely  that  it  is  perhaps  most  like  the  adapted  form 
which  the  author  of  Version  B  made  to  suit  the  changed  conditions. 

Having  made  the  changes  he  did,  it  was  quite  suitable  for  the 
English  poet  to  bring  in  here  the  feature  of  the  armed  heads  on  the 
lance  points,  for  this  gives  a  reason  for  the  willingness  of  the  lord  of 
the  castle  to  receive  any  one  who  may  care  at  any  time  to  claim  the 
prize.  His  offer  is  a  perpetual  wager '  —  a  means  by  which  he  lures 
people  to  the  place  that  he  may  fight  with  them.  The  knowledge  of 
this  wager  is  sufficient  to  incite  a  young  knight,  himself  eager  to  dis- 
play his  prowess,  to  undertake  so  perilous  an  exploit  despite  the 
persuasions  of  his  companions. 

In  the  description  of  the  fight  there  is,  for  obvious  reasons,  much 
more  resemblance  between  BI  and  Erec  than  between  LD  and  Erec. 
The  incident  in  Version  B  must  have  been  very  much  shortened,  for 
even  Renaud  has  only  sixty  lines  corresponding  to  two  hundred  in 
Erec. 

What  conclusion  the  adventure  had  in  Version  B  it  is  hard  to 
decide.  Erec  discovers  that  his  opponent  is  the  knight  on  whom  he 
was  anxious  to  revenge  an  insult  to  himself  and  Queen  Guinovere 
and  sends  him  to  Arthur.  BI,  bearing  him  no  ill-will,  spends  the 
night  with  him  in  enjoyment,  having,  however,  made  him  promise  to 
go  to  the  court.  Wigalois  also  sends  Hojir,  whom  he  conquers,  to 
Arthur ;  but  LD's  opponent  has  to  be  borne  from  the  place  on  his 
shield  and  we  hear  no  more  of  him.  The  gerfalcon  is,  however, 
sent  to  Arthur  by  a  knight,  Claudas,  together  with  a  letter  telling  how 
the  prize  was  won.  There  is  thus  practical  unanimity  in  all  versions 
except  LD  in  the  sending  of  the  conquered  knight  himself  to  the 
court,  and  we  must  conclude  that  this  was  probably  the  result  in 
Version  B.  It  is  well  to  note,  nevertheless,  that  the  English  author 
is  consistent  in  the  account  he  gives.  Elene  has  expressed  no  desire 
for  the  prize,  and  does  not  really  deserve  it  for  her  beauty,  and  it 

^  For  a  curious  account  of  a  sparrow-hawk  used  as  a  perpetual  challenge  to  a 
trial  of  strength,  see  Mandevile's  Travels,  ed.  Warner,  Roxb.  Club,  p.  73,  where  is 
told  of  "  Le  Chastel  Despuere,"  or  "  \>&  Castell  of  be  Sperhawke,"  and  of  the  hawk 
sitting  on  a  perch,  kept  by  "  a  fair  lady  of  Fairye  "  who  rewards  all  those  who 
fulfil  certain  conditions.     Cf.  also  Lady  Charlotte  Q'OlZ'sX's  Mabinogion,  II,  153. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconus.  169 

can  therefore  appropriately  be  sent  to  Arthur ;  whereas  Margerie  has 
travelled  far  to  win  it  and  does  deserve  it.  The  whole  question 
hinges  on  the  introduction  of  this  last-mentioned  character. 

In  Erec  there  is  great  rejoicing  at  court  on  the  arrival  of  the  van- 
quished knight.  In  LD,  when  the  news  is  received,  Arthur  is  so 
dehghted  that  at  once 

An  hundred  pound  honest 
Of  florins  wHj  |'e  best 

He  sente  to  Cardevile  toun.     (1045  if.) 

With  this  money  LD  gives  a  great  feast.  But  in  BI  a  long  time 
after,  when  the  disenchanted  princess,  having  seen  her  deliverer's 
wounds  healed,  her  affairs  put  in  order,  and  extensive  preparations 
made  for  her  journey,  overtakes  on  her  way  to  the  court  a  company 
of  knights,  she  finds  it  to  be  composed  of  all  those  whom  at  different 
times  BI  has  forced  to  promise  to  go  to  Arthur,  and  who  in  some 
inconceivable  way  have  come  together  and  are  still  (!)  on  their 
way.  They  must  surely  have  been  in  a  pitiful  condition  and  badly 
used  up  by  BI  to  have  made  such  poor  time. 

The  young  woman  for  whom  our  hero  fights  in  BI  and  Wig.  has  to 
be  got  rid  of  again.  BI  finds  she  is  a  daughter  of  King  Agolans  of 
Scotland,  and  obtains  from  Gifflet  a  knight  to  take  her  home  (cf. 
Claudas  in  LD).  In  Wig.  it  is  said  in  the  beginning  that  any  one 
can  tell  from  her  appearance  that  she  is  of  king's  kin.  Renaud  now 
works  in  another  feature  from  a  different  place  in  Erec}  After  Erec 
has  succeeded  in  \\\^joie  de  la  cort,  Enide  discovers,  when  the  young 
woman  in  the  garden  gives  an  account  of  her  parentage,  that  they 
are  relatives.  In  the  same  way  filie  learns  from  Margerie's  words 
that  the  latter  is  an  old  friend. 

We  have  yet  to  speak  of  the  prize  in  the  different  versions.  In 
Erec^  BI  and  Durmart,  it  is  a  sparrow-hawk  {esprevier')  ;  in  LD  it 
is  also  a  gerfalcon  or  hawk  ;  while  in  Wig.  there  are  two  prizes,  —  a 
marvellous  horse,  and  a  wonderful  parrot  kept  in  a  cage  of  gold.  In 
Meraugis  there  are  also  two  prizes,  —  a  swan  for  the  bravest  knight, 
and   a   sparrow-hawk  for   the   most  beautiful  woman.      Kirchrath^ 

1  Cf.  W.  Foerster,  Erec,  p.  xvi.  It  is  just  possible  that,  as  Mennung  thinks, 
this  feature  may  have  been  in  the  common  original  of  LD  and  BI.     (See  p.  133.) 

2  See  Li  Romans  de  Durmart  le  Callois,  pp.  5  5  ff. 


i;o  li:  II.   Schofield. 

thinks  we  have  in  the  last  poem  a  misunderstanding.  A  swan  is  cer- 
tainly a  remarkable  present  for  a  brave  knight,  and  the  two  presents 
seem  to  be  due  to  a  confusion.  In  LD  the  gerfalcon  is  described 
(773)  as  "whit  as  swan,"  and  in  Wig.  (2543)  we  read:  "das  pfert 
was  blanc  aisam  ein  swan."  It  looks  as  if  Version  B  described  the 
sparrow-hawk  as  being  white  as  a  swan  and  it  was  this  version  that 
Raoul  de  Houdenc  knew.  This  might  help  also  to  account  for  the 
peculiar  relations  which  exist  between  Meraugis,  Erec,  BI,  and  Ditr- 
mart,  as  to  which  see  Kirchrath,  pp.  50  ff. 

Kirchrath  thinks  that  BI  is  the  medium  between  Erec  and  Di/r- 
marf,  and  that  Raoul  borrowed  about  the  same  time  as  Renaud,  but 
independently,  from  E7-ec.  Inasmuch,  however,  as  Meraugis  also 
shows  agreements  with  Durmart,  he  is  of  the  opinion  that  "  Durmars 
bildet  eine  Erweiterung  und  theilweise  Verschmelzung  des  Desconeu 
[i.e.,  BI]  mit  Meraugis." 

I  may  call  attention  to  the  following  points  in  which  Durmart 
agrees  in  this  adventure  with  BI. 

(i)  In  both  the  meeting  with  the  lady  for  whom  the  hero  fights  is 
accidental.  (2-)  It  is  from  her  that  he  learns  first  about  the  whole 
affair.  (3)  In  both  he  is  incited  to  fight  for  her  by  her  weeping  for 
the  loss  of  her  previous  companion.  The  lady  had  been  attracted  to 
the  tourney  by  her  desire  to  win  the  prize  of  the  most  beautiful,  hav- 
ing confidence  in  the  powers  of  a  defender  who  has  failed  her  in  her 
need,  and  the  hero  comes  to  her  rescue  to  save  her  from  sorrow. 
(4)  She  is  of  royal  birth  —  in  BI  the  daughter  of  a  king,  in  Dur. 
a  queen  herself  (cf.  Wig.).  In  these  four  points  the  two  poems 
differ  from  E7-ec,  where  (i)  the  lady  plays  a  very  subordinate  part 
and  is  not  by  any  means  the  leading  figure.  (2)  It  is  from  her 
father  that  Erec  learns  the  custom  of  the  place.  (3)  He  is 
prompted  to  fight  by  mingled  feelings  of  love,  desire  for  adven- 
ture, and  revenge.  (4)  The  maid  whom  he  defends  has  never 
before  entered  the  contest,  and  has  had  no  other  lover  or  defender. 
She  has  not  thought  of  competing  for  the  prize.  (5)  She  is  the 
daughter  of  an  extremely  poor  knight.  (6)  The  hero  marries  her 
later. 

The  name  of  the  lord  of  the  castle  is  in  BI  Giflet  li  fius  Do ;  in 
LD  Giffroun  le  fludous  (as  to  which  see  p.  136  above).  In  Wig.  he 
is  identified  with  the  Red  Knight. 


Studies  on  the  Li  beans  Descomis.  lyi 


The  Adventure  with  the  Dog.     ' 

We  have  seen  that  in  Version  B  two  new  adventures  were  intro- 
duced, —  the  sparrow-hawk  contest  and  the  capture  of  the  dog.  The 
former,  it  seems,  was  borrowed  from  jErec.  I  should  Uke  now  to  call 
attention  to  the  fact  that  we  have  a  very  close  parallel  to  the  latter 
in  Celtic  tradition.  It  is  to  be  found  in  the  Lay  of  the  Great  Fool, 
which  presents  other  features  in  common  with  the  Perceval  stories.^ 
I  shall  quote  from  O'Daly's  translation  of  the  Lay  in  his  Fenian 
Poems,  Second  Series." 

Amadan  Mor  (=  The  Great  Fool)  and  his  beautiful  companion  are 
making  their  way  through  a  pleasant  valley  when 

To  the  place  in  which  they  stood 

A  deer  approaches  with  antlers  fierce ; 
And  a  red-eared  white  hound 
Barking  loudly  in  his  track. 

The  Great  Fool  kills  the  deer. 

He  then  lays  hold  of  the  white  hound 

And  ties  him  gently  with  a  thong ; 

*  I  shall  keep  thee  to  amuse  me 

Until  pursuers  or  some  one  follows  me.' 

"  'Twas  not  long  till  they  saw  approach  them  in  the  valley "  the 
owner  of  the  dog.  He  comes  up  and  salutes  them.  The  Great  Fool 
demands  his  name  and  station,  and  the  other  gives  his  name  as  "  The 
Knight  of  the  Mantle,"  and  says  he  is  the  owner  of  the  white  hound. 
The  Great  Fool  retorts  that  the  knight  shall  not  any  longer  be  called 
by  the  latter  name.  The  knight  begs  that  the  dog  be  given  back  to 
him,  but  the  rough  hero  refuses  bluntly. 

'  'Twas  I  that  slew  the  deer,' 

Saith  the  Amadan  in  firm  tone, 

'And  whoever  of  us  has  the  stoutest  arm, 

Let  him  have  the  deer  and  white  hound.' 


The  knight  is  forced  to  give  in. 


1  See  Nutt,  Studies  in  the  Legend  of  the  Holy  Grail,  pp.  152  fif. 

2  Transactions  of  the  Ossianic  Soc.for  18^8,  Vol.  VI,  Dublin,  1861,  pp.  169  ff. 


172  U:  J/.  Schoficld. 

Then  the  gentle  young  woman  said, 
*  Give  to  me  the  white  hound  ; ' 

and  it  is  given  over  to  her  charge. 

Campbell's  version  in  his  Popular  Tales  of  the  West  Highlands^ 
corresponds  to  this  closely.  The  following  additional  feature  is  of 
interest.     The  scene  opens  thus  : 

They  heard  the  hunt  in  the  glen, 

The  voice  of  the  hound  and  music  sweet. 

With  this  should  be  compared  the  opening  in  the  English  poem  LD  : 

As  l>ey  ride  on  a  lowe, 
Homes  herde  hey  blowe 

And  houndes  grete  of  gale.     (1057  ff.) 

There  can  be  no  question  that  we  have  here  the  same  story  which 
is  told  in  LD  and  BI."  As  has  been  noted,  the  Celtic  poem  agrees 
with  LD,  as  opposed  to  BI,  in  the  opening.  It  also  agrees  with  the 
former  in  the  whole  course  of  the  poem.  It  is  the  hero  himself  (a 
strong,  burly  fellow  —  no  polished  chevalier,  be  it  noted)  who  catches 
the  dog  and  refuses  scornfully  to  surrender  it  at  the  demand  of  the 
knightly  owmer.  He  gives  it  to  his  companion,  and  tells  the  knight 
that  if  he  wants  it  he  must  fight  for  it.  Moreover,  the  latter  is  pro- 
voked by  the  hero  so  that  he  tells  his  name  and  station  before  the 
fight.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  this  adventure  Wigalois  is  very 
similar  to  the  account  in  LD,  and  very  unlike  that  in  BI.     It  is  curi- 


lEdin.,  1860-62,111,  160;  orally  collected.  The  stor>'  is  also  told  in  prose 
by  Patrick  Kennedy  in  The  Bardic  Stories  of  Ireland^  Dublin,  1871,  pp.  152-3. 
Nutt  gives  a  summary  of  the  Lay  in  his  Studies  on  the  Legend  of  the  LJoly  Grail, 
pp.  160  ff. 

2  There  are  some  slight  analogies  to  this  adventure  in  Durmart,  1675  ^-5  ^^^ 
they  are  of  no  moment.  On  the  recurrence  of  this  episode  in  Gautier's  Perceval, 
see  Mennung,  p.  17,  and  below,  p.  192.  Nutt  (Studies,  pp.  161-2)  compared  the 
Lay  of  the  Great  Fool  in  this  adventure  with  the  Conte  du  Graal,  and  concluded 
thus :  "  While  the  general  idea  is  the  same,  the  way  in  which  it  is  worked  out  is 
so  different  that  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  the  one  story  having  been  borrowed 
from  the  other.  What  can  safely  be  claimed  is  that  the  Great  Fool  counterpart 
of  Peredur-Perceval  in  the  adventures  of  his  youth  and  up-bringing,  is  also,  to  a 
certain  extent,  his  counterpart  in  the  most  prominent  of  his  later  adventures,  that 
of  the  stag-hunt."     Cf.  Rev.  Celt.,  XII,  202,  203. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconiis.  173 

ous  that  Wig.  preserves  a  feature  in  common  with  the  Celtic  not 
found  elsewhere.  BI  and  Wig.  agree  in  describing  the  dog  as  being 
white,  having  ears  of  a  djfferent  color,  while  LD  is  content  to  say 
that  the  dog  was  "of  all  colours."     Cf. 

das  was  blanc  iiber  al.     (Wig.,  60,  26.) 
with 

Plus  estoit  blans  que  nulla  nois.     (BI,  1275.) 

Only,  however,  in  Wig.  is  it  said  as  in  the  Celtic  that  one  of  the 
dog's  ears  was  red. 

Niwan  ein  6re  was  im  val, 

das  ander  7-dt  alsam  ein  bluot.     (60,  27-8.) 

In  BI-,  on  the  contrary,  we  read  : 

O relies  noires  comme  pois.     (1276.) 

LD  and  Wig.  also  describe  the  owner  of  the  dog  as  being  finely 
dressed.  In  LD  he  is  "y-clothed  in  inde,"  and  the  notes  of  his 
bugle  reveal  ''in  what  stede  he  wer  "  (iioi).  In  Wig.  every  lock  of 
his  hair  is  "  bewunden  wol :  mit  siden  und  mit  golde  :  gezieret  als' 
er  wolde  "  (61,  4  ff.),  and  he  is  dressed  "mit  griienem  tymit."  In 
the  Celtic  tale  he  comes  "  in  full  splendour  of  gold  "  and  is  "of  the 
handsomest  mien."  In  BI,  however,  we  learn  that  he  wears  a  "corte 
cote  .  . .  d'un  burel "  : 

D'une  houses  estoit  hoses  ; 
Estrangement  estoit  hastes,     (i  299-1 300.) 

Further,  BI  varies  from  the  Lay  as  well  as  from  LD  and  Wig.  in  hav- 
ing the  owner  see  the  maiden  catch  the  dog.  The  last  three  repre- 
sent a  little  time  as  elapsing  between  the  taking  of  the  dog  and  the 
arrival  of  the  knight.  There  is  one  point,  however,  in  which  BI  is 
closer  to  the  Lay :  viz.,  in  representing  the  hound  as  following  a  deer 
"with  antlers  fierce." 

Un  cerf  vit,  qui  l^s  lui  passa, 

Langue  traite,  vait  effreds  ; 

De  XVI  rains  estoit  arrays.     (1266  fF.) 

But  the  resemblance  of  the  Lay  to  our  poems  does  not  end  here. 
As  in  LD,  the  hero  and  his  companions  go  with  the  knight  to  his 
castle  and  are  well  received ;  tales  are  told  of  the  hero's  valor. 


1/4  11'.  IT.  Sclioficld. 

'Twas  not  long  till  they  saw  in  the  valley 
A  city  that  shone  like  unto  gold ; 
There  was  no  colour  which  eye  had  seen 
That  was  not  in  the  mansion,  and  many  more. 

Twas  then  the  young  maiden  asked, 
'  What  golden  city  is  that 
Of  the  finest  appearance  and  hue, 
Or  could  it  be  betrayed  or  traversed?' 

She  is  told  that  it  is  called  Dun  an  Oir  (Fort  of  the  Gold),  and, 
moreover,  that  the  glen  through  which  they  have  passed  is  full  of 
magic. 

They  found  a  woman  in  the  Dun, 

A  sight  like  it  was  never  seen  ; 

Her  person  was  fairer  than  the  snow, 

Blue  her  eyes  and  bright  her  teeth. 

She  is  also  gifted  with  a  knowledge  of  magic,  and  it  is  at  this 
castle  that  the  Great  Fool  gets  back  his  legs,  of  which  he  had  been 
deprived  by  drinking  an  evil  potion. 

This  continued  agreement  is  remarkable.  It  is  especially  to  be 
noted  that  in  LD  the  adventure  at  the  city  of  the  He  d'Or  follows 
directly  that  with  the  hound,  while  in  BI  the  sparrow-hawk  episode 
intervenes.  Moreover,  in  LD  the  owner  of  the  dog  rides  back  to 
his  castle  cordially  with  the  hero  and  his  companions,  while  in  BI 
they  part  as  soon  as  the  knight  is  conquered,  the  latter  starting  off  at 
once  for  Arthur's  court. 

The  descriptions  in  LD  of  the  Golden  City  and  of  its  lady  are 
very  general.  In  BI  they  are  more  definite,  and  are  closer  to  the 
Celtic.     In  the  French  we  read  : 

En  la  vile  ot  ii  tors  vermelles ; 

Qui  beles  erent  a  mervelles, 

Et  furent  de  marbre  vermeil. 

Qui  moult  reluist  contre  soleil,  etc.     (1881  fF.) 

This  is,  indeed,  the  City  of  the  Golden  Isle,^  or,  in  the  words  of 
Campbell's  version,  the  city  "  filled  with  the  glitter  of  gold." 


^  As  we  have  seen  (p.  158,  above)  this  name  is  supposed  to  have  entered  our 
cycle  (in  Version  B)  at  the  same  time  with  the  adventure  with  the  dog. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descomis.  175 

Of  the  mistress  of  the  place,  BI  says : 

El  palais  ot  une  pucele, 

Onques  nus  hom  ne  vit  si  bele.     (191 5-6.) 

Further,  "les  oels  ot  vairs  "  (2214),  and  a  line  wanting  in  the  MS. 
of  BI  at  this  point  very  probably  told  of  the  beauty  of  her  teeth.  In 
LD,  also,  she  is  called  "a  lady,  whit  as  flour"  (1489),  which  is  like 
the  French  "Plus  estoit  blance  d'une  flor"  (2210).  Compare  now 
with  these  passages  the  last  stanza  of  the  Great  Fool  here  quoted 
(p.    174,    above),   which   reads   as   follows    in   Campbell's  version 

(stanza  32) : 

A  young  wife  that  I  found  in  the  tower 
The  sight  of  an  eye  no  better  was, 
Whiter  than  very  snow  is  her  form, 
Gentle  her  eye,  and  her  teeth  like  a  flower. 

We  have  already  seen  reason  to  believe  that  the  Desc.  poems  had 
their  origin  in  some  form  of  the  Perceval  cycle.  The  fact  that  we 
have  some  of  the  episodes  in  them  closely  paralleled  in  a  Celtic 
poem  which  itself  shows  other  points  of  agreement  with  the  same 
cycle,  is  certainly  of  interest  and  importance.  It  will  doubtless  give 
some  comfort  to  those  who  advocate  the  Celtic  origin  of  the  Perceval 
stories.^ 

Heads  on  Poles. 

"This  grim  stroke  of  fancy  "  (as  Professor  Child  calls  it)  is  of  very 
common  occurrence.  As  we  have  seen,  it  is  a  feature  of  one  of  the 
castles  in  Erec,  LD  and  BI.^ 

I.  In  Old  French  it  is  found,  for  example  :  (<z)  in  La  Mule  sanz 
Fraiii^  where  there  are  four  hundred  stakes,  all  but  one  of  which 
are  surmounted  with  a  bloody  head.     (^)  In  Version  P  of  the  prose 


1  It  may  be  noted  that  we  have  also  in  Campbell's  collection  (III,  403)  the  story 
of  the  transformation  of  a  hideous  being  into  a  beautiful  woman.  For  an  early 
case  in  Celtic  of  transformation  from  a  spell  see  Maclnnes  and  Nutt,  Argyllshire 
Tales,  pp.  467-8  ;  cf  Nutt,  Academy,  April  30,  1892,  and  note  in  Miss  Weston's 
translation  of  Wolfram's  Parzival,  1894,  I,  319. 

2  A  large  number  of  the  instances  which  follow  will  be  found  collected  in 
Professor  Child's  English  and  Scottish  Ballads,  Parts  II,  417  ;  IV,  507  ;  VI,  507  ; 
VIII,  459;   IX,  216. 

8  Meon,  Nouveau  Recueil,  I,  15  (vv.  429-37). 


176  I  v.  11.   Schofichl 

Livre  d' A  this}  where,  as  in  Erec,  when  one  spear  is  covered  a  new 
one  appears.  (<")  In  Mcriaduec  Gawein  kills  his  opponent  and 
sticks  his  head  up  on  a  pole  along  with  forty-four  others  whom  the 
latter  has  conquered  (see  below,  p.  238).  (^/)  In  Ider  we  read 
also  of  "  le  manoir,  qu'  entourent  des  pieux  charges  de  nombreuses 
tetes  coupties  "  (see  Hist.  Lift.,  XXX,  205).  (<?)  In  the  prose  Lance- 
lot (P.  Paris,  Romans,  V,  266)  Hector  is  led  into  a  garden  "  ferm^ 
de  grands  pieux  aigus."  He  is  shown  an  ivory  horn  and  told  to  blow 
it.  He  does  so,  and  the  owner  of  the  place  appears.  Hector  con- 
quers him  in  fight. 

2.  In  Middle  High  German  it  occurs  also  in  Wolfdietrich  B. 
The  heathen  whom  Wolfdietrich  afterwards  overcomes  at  knife- 
throwing,  threatens  him  thus  : 

*  Sihstu  dort  an  den  zinnen  fiinf  hundert  houbet  stan, 
Diu  ich  mit  minen  henden  alle  verderbet  han? 
Noch  Stat  ein  zinne  la^re  an  minem  tiirnlin : 
Da  muoz  din  werdez  houbet  ze  einem  phande  sin.'  ^ 

3.  We  have  the  same  feature  of  one  stake  with  no  head  on  it  in 
the  Finnish  Kalevala?  Lemminkainen,  going  to  the  Northland,  is 
warned  by  his  mother  that  he  will  find  a  courtyard  planted  with 
stakes,  with  a  head  on  every  stake  but  one,  on  which  his  head  will 
be  stuck. 

4.  In  Persian  we  have  the  incident  of  the  heads  in  the  story  of 
The  Fair  One  of  the  Castle,  the  fourth  in  the  poem  of  The  Seven 
Figures  (or  Beauties),  by  Nisami  of  Gendsch  (f  1180).  Many 
suitors,  having  essayed  unsuccessfully  to  obtain  a  Russian  princess 
shut  up  in  a  castle  made  inaccessible  by  a  talisman,  had  their  heads 
arrayed  on  the  pinnacles  of  the  castle. 

Most  of  the  instances  are,  however,  to  be  found  on  Celtic  soil.* 


1  Ed.  Freymond,  Zt.f.fr.  Sp.  u.  Litt.,  XVII,  46  (§  68),  65  (§  iii). 

2  St.  595,  Janicke,  Deuisckes  Heldenhtich,  III,  256. 
2  Schiefner,  Rune  26,  vv.  315-22,  p.  163. 

*  Indeed,  as  Mr.  Alfred  Nutt  says,  "  heads  play  as  large  a  part  in  the  olden  Irish 
sagas  as  they  presumably  do  in  the  tales  of  the  head-hunting  Dyaks,  or  as  scalps 
in  Red  Indian  stories."  He  is,  however,  hardly  justified  in  adding,  "  When, 
therefore,  in  the  Conte  du  Graal,  Perceval,  after  having  slain  the  Grail  king's 
enemy,  cuts  off  his  head  and  brings  it  to  the  Grail  king,  who,  forthwith,  has  it 
fixed  on  a  stake  on  the  top  of  the  highest  tower  in  his  castle  (Potvin's  ed.,  VI, 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus.  177 

5.  One  of  the  adventures  of  Cuchulinn  was  the  cutting  off  of  the 
heads  of  four  charioteers,  and  placing  them  on  the  four  points  of  a 
pronged  pole.^ 

6.  In  Campbell's  Tales  of  the  West  Highlands'^  we  read  :  "  '  Many 
a  leech  has  come,'  said  the  porter.  '  There  is  not  a  spike  on  the 
town  without  a  leech's  head  but  one,  and  may  be  it  is  for  thy  head 
that  one  is.'  " 

7.  In  the  tale  of  Conall  Gulban/  Conall  "  saw  the  very  finest  castle 
that  ever  was  seen  from  the  beginning  of  the  universe  till  the  end  of 
eternity ;  and  a  great  wall  at  the  back  of  the  fortress,  and  iron  spikes 
within  a  foot  of  each  other,  about  and  around  it,  and  a  man's  head 
upon  every  spike  but  the  one  spike.  Fear  struck  him  and  he  fell 
a-shaking.  He  thought  that  it  was  his  own  head  that  would  go  on 
the  headless  spike." 

8.  The  giant  of  Loch  L6in  had  a  great  castle,  around  which  were 
seven  hundred  iron  spikes  ;  and  on  every  one  but  one  of  these  spikes 
was  the  head  of  a  king,  a  queen,  or  a  king's  son.* 

9.  The  king  of  Erin^  promises  his  daughter  to  the  Shee  an  Gannon 


131),  I  look  upon  this  as  evidence  of  the  original  Celtic  character  of  the  Conte 
du  Graal."  (^Folk  and  Hero  Tales,  II,  453.)  This  habit  of  putting  heads  on 
stakes  was  doubtless  common  in  actual  practice.  In  the  Image  of  Irelande,  by 
John  Derricke  (1581;  edited  with  an  Introd.  by  John  Small,  Edin.,  1883;  see 
plate  VI),  there  is  a  plate  representing  Sir  Henry  Sidney,  the  Lord-Deputy,  setting 
out  on  his  state  progress  through  Ireland.  The  heads  of  several  of  the  rebels  are 
displayed  on  poles  over  the  gate  of  Dublin  Castle.  Above,  the  following  lines 
are  printed : 

These  trunckles  heddes  do  playnly  showe  each  rebelles  fatall  end, 
And  what  a  haynous  crime  it  is,  the  Queene  for  to  offend. 

1  Tain  bo  Cuailgne,  Leber  na  KUidri^  p.  58,  col.  I  (in  Sullivan's  Introd.  to 
O'Curry,  Lectures,  p.  cccxlv,  note).  Dr.  F.  N.  Robinson  has  given  me  the  follow- 
ing note :  "  For  a  Celtic  poem  illustrating  the  custom,  see  the  Dean  of  Lismore's 
Book  (ed.  by  M'Lauchlan  and  Skene,  Edinburgh,  1862),  p.  58,  and  Additional 
Notes,  p.  151.  Connal  Cearnach  M'Edirskeol  avenged  the  death  of  Cuchullin 
by  killing  all  his  enemies,  and  in  this  poem  he  carries  their  heads  on  a  withe 
and  tells  their  names.  The  poem  is  usually  known  as  the  L^y  of  the  Heads 
(Laoidk  nan  ceann),  and  is  said  by  the  editor  to  be  well  known  in  the  High- 
lands.    Cf.  Aubrey  de  Vere,  Children  of  Fochhit  IVood." 

2  I,  312  {The  Ceabharnach).  "  Campbell,  III,  202. 

*  Jeremiah  Curtin,  Myths  and  Folk-lore  of  Ireland,  Boston,  1890,  p.  37. 
^  Curtin,  p.  114  f. 
,       N 


178  li:  II.   Schofidd. 

if  he  can  tell  what  will  put  a  stop  to  the  laughing  of  the  Gruagach 
Gaire.  "  There  are  twelve  iron  spikes  out  here  in  the  garden  behind 
my  castle.  .  .  .  I'm  greatly  in  dread  that  your  head'll  be  on  the 
twelfth  spike,"  said  the  king.  The  other  eleven  were  covered  by  the 
heads  of  kings'  sons  who  had  been  unsuccessful. 

10.  In  the  story  of  Shaking- Head, '  two  hundred  and  ninety-nine 
kings'  sons  have  failed  in  their  attempt  to  win  a  king's  daughter,  and 
their  heads  are  on  iron  spikes  in  the  garden  of  the  castle.  The  king 
fears  the  present  suitor  will  be  the  three-hundredth.  Be  it  noted 
that  the  princess  has  here  a  knowledge  of  magic,  and  plays  tricks  on 
the  hero  (cf.  BI). 

11.  The  king  of  Albainn  and  the  "big  lad  "  come  to  the  castle  of 
the  king  of  Eirin,  the  walls  of  which  are  surmounted  by  a  row  of  iron 
spikes.  All  but  two  of  these  are  covered  by  those  who  have  previ- 
ously gone  to  inquire  after  the  king's  condition.^ 

Other  similar  instances  may  be  seen  in  (12)  The  Bare-Siripping 
Hangman  ;^  (13)  Carleton's  Three  Tasks;  (14)  Hyde's  King  of  Ire- 
ia/ufs  Son,  p.  39  ;  (15)  The  Lad  with  the  Skin  Coverings;'^  (16) 
Geraint  and  Eiiid,  Mabinogion,  trans.  Loth,  II,  1 70  (in  the  passage 
corresponding  to  that  in  Erec). 

The  Celtic  examples  would  seem  to  favor  the  view  that  this  feature 
was  originally  connected  with  the  castle  of  the  He  d'Or,  as  in  BI. 
Indeed,  there  is  a  striking  resemblance  between  the  whole  situation 
in  the  Desc.  poems  and  in  some  of  the  traditional  stories,  especially 
in  No.  15.  In  both  cases  we  have  a  poor  lad  (originally  clad  in 
skin  coverings)  coming  to  the  castle  of  a  princess  skilled  in  the  black 
art.  This  is  defended  by  a  monster  (surely  Maugis  in  LD  can  be 
called  such;  see  1333,  1339-41),  who  apparently  aspires  to  the  hand 
of  the  princess.  She,  however,  is  ill-disposed  toward  him  and  sym- 
pathizes with  the  young  knight.  This  giant  ever  guards  the  entrance 
to  the  castle  and  lets  no  armed  man  pass  without  fighting.     If  the 


^  Curtin,  p.  193. 

2  High  a  bli'  air  Albainn,  in  Folk  and  Hero  Tales,  Argyllshire  Series,  II,  ed. 
Maclnnes  and  Nutt,  London,  1890,  p.  79;   cf.  p.  453. 

^  Argyllshire  Series,  III,  ed.  MacDougall,  London,  1891,  p.  81. 

*  Argyllshire  Series,  IV,  The  Fians,  collected  by  J.  G.  Campbell,  189 1, 
pp.  261  ff.  Nos.  13  and  14  are  cited  by  Xutt,  Folk  and  Hero  Tales,  Arg.  Series, 
II,  453,  who  also  refers  to  The  Dialogue  of  the  Elders,  p.  76. 


Studies  oil  the  Lib  cans  Descomis.  179 

latter  is  defeated  his  head  is  cut  off  and  put  on  a  stake.  When 
the  monster  sees  the  young  hero  come,  he  tells  him  to  look  out  or 
he  is  sure  to  be  worsted  (cf.  LD,  1372-4).  The  princess  watches 
the  fight  from  the  windows  of  the  castle  along  with  her  maidens 
(cf.  BI,  2095  ff.).  The  young  knight  overcomes  the  giant  and  cuts 
off  his  head  (cf.  LD,  1484).  He  is  offered  the  hand  of  the  lady, 
who  would  only  marry  the  one  who  had  killed  the  giant ;  she  also 
displays  her  knowledge  of  sorcery. 

We  have  already  seen  that  the  Welsh  Peredur  presents  in  con- 
tinued narrative  a  series  of  adventures  bearing  close  resemblance  to 
those  of  the  poems  of  our  cycle,  relating  them  in  exactly  the  same 
order  in  which  they  occur  in  the  English  poem,  which  is  the  least 
artistic  and  seems  to  represent  best  Version  A  of  the  Desc.  group. 
It  is  a  matter  of  no  small  importance  that  we  have  also  in  Celtic  liter- 
ature and  tradition  separate  parallels  to  most  of  these  adventures  and 
to  others  in  our  stories  not  found  in  Peredur.  It  is  well  known  that 
the  stories  of  the  youth  of  Cuchulinn  resemble  those  of  the  enfanees 
of  Perceval.^  Of  the  former  hero  it  is  also  related  how  he  overcame 
three  brothers,  powerful  knights,  and  slew  others  whose  heads  he  cut 
off  and  put  on  pointed  stakes.  In  the  Lay  of  the  Great  Fool  ^fi^  find 
a  very  close  parallel  to  the  adventure  with  the  dog  in  our  Desc.  cycle 
and  a  suggestion  of  the  Golden  City  and  the  enchantments  there. 
Now  we  have  a  story  which  is  strikingly  like  that  told  of  the  giant 
Maugis  guarding  a  princess  who  is  anxious  to  get  rid  of  him  and  is 
wiUing  to  marry  the  knight  who  shall  slay  him.  Had  the  knight 
failed,  however,  his  head  would  have  been  placed  on  a  stake  along- 
side those  of  many  others  who  had  been  unsuccessful  in  the  advent- 
ure. We  read  also  of  hideous  beings  transformed  into  beautiful 
women  when  they  are  embraced  by  heroes  who  are  not  frightened  by 
their  repulsiveness.  And  so  on.  Have  not  these  considerations 
some  bearing  on  the  vexed  question  of  the  Celtic  origin  of  the  Per- 
ceval stories  ? 


1  See  Zimmer,  Gdtt.  Gel.  Anz.,  1890,  XII,  519. 


l80  I/'.   //.   Schoficld. 


GLIGLOIS. 

The  poem  called  Giig/ois  is  presented  in  a  unique  MS.  (fr.  23, 
pp.  63-81 )  of  the  Royal  Library  of  Turin.  The  rubric  runs  :  "  C'est 
de  Gliglois  comment  il  eut  grant  painne  pour  s'amie,"  and  Paris, 
in  his  review  of  Stengel's  Mittheilungen^  noted  the  resemblance  of 
the  name  to  that  of  the  hero  of  BI,  adding,  "  la  forme  Gliglois  (1. 
Guiglois  ?)  se  rapproche  du  IVigalois  allemand."  Kolbing  did  not 
heed  this  suggestion  in  his  study  of  LD,^  and  Stengel  in  his  review  of 
Kolbing^  called  attention  to  the  fact,  being  evidently  of  the  opinion 
that  there  was  a  close  connection  between  the  two  poems.  Foerster, 
however,  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  Gliglois,  felt  forced  to 
say  that  it  ''mit  dem  Gedichte  Renauts  leider  in  keiner  Beziehung 
steht."*  Paris  then  made  another  examination  of  the  poem  and 
came  to  the  same  conclusion.*  My  knowledge  of  this  poem  is 
limited  to  the  summary  and  extracts  given  by  Paris ;  but  I  hope  to 
show  that  the  poem  has  something  in  common  with  that  of  Guinglain, 
and  that  the  author,  "  en  pla^ant  son  action  dans  le  cadre  des  romans 
de  la  Table  Ronde,"  has  left  the  incident  in  the  same  setting  in 
which  he  found  it,  merely  telling  at  greater  length  and  with  increased 
charm  an  old  story  of  the  hero  whose  name  forms  the  title  of  his 
poem,  and  who  is  none  other  than  IVigalois,  Perceval  //  Galois,  who 
elsewhere  became  known  best  as  Li  Beaus  Desco7ieus. 

Gliglois  is  a  youth  of  noble  birth  who  betakes  himself  to  Arthur's 
court  that  he  may  learn  the  profession  of  arms.  He  is  given  over  to 
Gawain  for  instruction.  Soon  a  beautiful  maiden  named  Beauty 
comes  to  the  court.  Her  father  and  mother  are  dead,  and  she  and 
her  elder  sister  are  the  heirs  of  the  country  of  Landemore.  Gawain 
falls  in  love  with  her ;  but  his  suit  is  unsuccessful,  and  Gliglois  is 
given  to  her  as  a  servant  in  order  that  he  may  advance  his  master's 
cause.  The  young  knight,  however,  falls  desperately  in  love  with  her 
himself,  and  finally  avows  his  love.  She  rejects  it  scornfully,  but  lets 
his  offence  pass.  Meanwhile  all  have  been  invited  to  a  great  tourney, 
to  which  each  knight  is  to  bring  his  amie.     Gliglois,  however,  is  bid- 


1  In  Rom.,  Ill,  no.  2  in  Engl.  Stud.,  I,  1 21-169. 

3  In  Zt.  f.  rom.  Phil,  I,  486.  <  See  Zt.  f.  rom.  Phil,  II,  77. 

5  See  Hist.  Litt.,  XXX,  161. 


Studies  on  the  Li  beans  Descomts.  i8i 

den  to  remain  at  home.  Beauty  also  decides  not  to  go ;  but  she 
changes  her  mind  soon  after  the  rest  have  departed,  and  Gliglois  gets 
her  a  passing  knight  as  a  companion.  The  youth  persists  in  follow- 
ing them,  until  Beauty,  realizing  his  great  love  for  her,  sends  him 
with  a  letter  to  her  sister  revealing  her  own  love  for  him,  and  asking 
that  he  be  furnished  with  the  best  of  armor  and  sent  to  the  tourney. 
The  sister  Receives  him  kindly,  has  him  splendidly  equipped,  reveals 
to  him  Beauty's  love,  and  sends  him  to  the  tournament.  It  is  well  to 
note  that  she  marvels  at  the  boy's  beauty  and  concludes  that  it  is  no 
wonder  her  sister  loves  him.  Needless  to  say  Gliglois  distinguishes 
himself  by  his  prowess,  and,  although  unknown  to  all,  is  acknowl- 
edged the  victor  of  the  joust.  He  returns  quietly  to  Arthur's  court. 
Beauty  "  r^vele  son  nom  a  la  reine  ;  apr^s  quoi  Beauts  raconte  com- 
ment elle  I'a  aim^,  comment  elle  I'a  fait  faire  chevalier,  et  declare 
qu'elle  ne  veut  pas  d'autre  ^poux  que  lui ;  la  reine  I'approuve.  On 
appelle  le  roi  et  les  autres  chevaliers ;  Arthur  demande  a  Gliglois  de 
faire  partie  de  sa  mesnie ;  Gauvain,  enchant^  du  succes  de  son 
^cuyer,  I'embrasse  et  dit  qu'il  veut  etre  d^sormais  son  compagnon. 
Mais  la  reine  fait  part  a  son  mari  de  I'amour  de  Gliglois  et  de  Beauts 
et  annonce  leur  prochain  mariage."  The  poet  ends  with  some 
reflections  on  the  perseverance  in  love  which  succeeded  so  well  in 
the  case  of  his  hero. 

If  now  we  look  again  at  Peredur,  which  we  have  seen  to  be  so  inti- 
mately connected  with  the  Desc.  stories,  we  find  an  adventure  which 
might  easily  have  suggested  the  romance  of  Gliglois.  We  are  there  ^ 
told  how  Peredur,  while  in  confinement  at  a  king's  palace,  learns  of  a 
great  fight  that  is  to  take  place ;  how  the  princess,  who  is  deeply  in 
love  with  him,  obtains  for  him  splendid  equipment,  and  how  he  goes 
off  alone  to  engage  in  the  struggle.  He  conquers  all,  but  returns  to 
his  prison  without  having  been  recognized.  The  princess,  however, 
reveals  the  name  of  the  victor,  and  tells  how  she  has  aided  him,  and 
the  king  offers  him  his  daughter's  hand.  Of  course  Peredur  cannot 
accept  it,  but  the  young  lady  tells  him  in  parting,  "C'est  toi,  sei- 
gneur, I'homme  que  j'aime  le  plus." 

If  we  fit  to  this  single  incident  the  general  features  of  the  begin- 
ning and  ending  of  the  story  of  which  it  is  a  part,  the  resemblance 


^  Les  Mabinogion,  trans.  Loth,  II,  102  ff. 


1 82  U:   11.   Sclioficld. 

becomes  still  more  striking.  There  also  the  hero  is  a  youth  of  noble 
birth  who  betakes  himself  to  Arthur's  court  to  serve  him  and  is  given 
over  to  Gawain  for  instruction  in  knightly  ways.  There  too,  shortly 
after  the  youth's  coming,  a  beautiful  maiden  also  arrives.  Her  father 
and  mother  are  dead,  and  she  and  her  elder  sister  are  sole  heirs  of 
their  land.  This  is  exactly  the  introduction  in  Carduino,  in  which, 
it  will  be  remembered,  the  messenger  is  a  sister  of  the  enchanted 
princess.  But  Beauty  gives  no  reason  for  her  coming.  She  comes  to 
stay ;  that  is  all.  May  we  not,  in  this  fact,  see  evidence  that  the  in- 
troduction in  Gliglois  has  no  immediate  connection  with  the  form  of 
the  story  as  there  told,  but  is  a  reminiscence  of  the  introduction  to 
the  whole  history  of  which  the  adventure  described  in  Gliglois  was 
but  an  incident  ?  We  remember  that  the  young  hero  in  all  the  Desc. 
stories  is  remarkable  for  his  beauty,  that  he  is  received  with  great  joy 
at  court  on  his  return,  that  Arthur  makes  him  one  of  his  tnesnie,  that 
Gawain,  above  all,  is  delighted  at  his  success  and  proud  of  his  ex- 
ploits, and  that  he  is  married  to  the  woman  whom  he  loves  and  who 
loves  him. 

It  may  be  noted  also  that  there  are  no  names  in  Gliglois  which 
are  not  in  BI,  except  Lindemore,  which  is  of  common  occurrence 
elsewhere,'  and  Beauty,  the  addition  of  which  is  readily  understood ; 
while  the  connection  of  the  poem  with  the  rest  of  the  Perceval 
//  Galois  cycle  explains  the  remarkable  agreement,  heretofore  ob- 
scure, in  the  names  of  the  heroes. 

If  my  conclusions  in  this  matter  are  justified,  it  is  evident  that  for 
the  first  time  the  poem  Gliglois  has  been  shown  to  be  connected 
with  the  cycle  of  poems  with  which  every  one  felt  it  ought  to  be  con- 
nected, and  also  that  another  strong  argument  has  been  adduced  in 
support  of  my  contention  that  the  Desc.  poems  all  go  back  originally 
to  some  form  of  the  Perceval  story  and  are  not  confined,  in  their 
resemblance  to  that  story,  to  the  introductory  portion. 


1  For  example,  Fergus,  ed.  Martin,  p.  6,  4  (cf.  p.  xxi),  and  "  pucele  de  Lan- 
demore  "  in  Meraugis,  p.  8. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descoims.  183 


CARDUINO. 

The  relation  of  Cardulno  to  the  other  stories  in  the  Desc,  cycle 
has  always  been  somewhat  perplexing.  It  is  quite  evident  that  it  is 
not  based  on  either  LD  or  BI  or  their  direct  original.  While  LD 
and  BI  make  the  hero  the  bastard  son  of  Gawain,  who  is  delighted 
when  he  discovers  that  the  young  knight  is  his  son,  Carduino  repre- 
sents that  flower  of  chivalry  as  no  other  than  the  murderer  of  the 
boy's  father,  and  as  forced  to  kneel  before  Car.  and  crave  mercy  lest 
his  life  should  be  taken  away.  None  of  the  characteristic  names  in 
LD  and  BI  are  known  to  the  Itahan  poet.  Some  of  the  most  impor- 
tant adventures  in  these  poems  have  no  counterpart  in  the  Italian, 
and,  where  the  three  stories  have  incidents  in  common,  Car.  in  gen- 
eral presents  a  much  more  primitive  form  of  saga-material.  It  is 
clear  that  we  have  now  to  deal  with  a  poem  which  owes  its  imme- 
diate origin  to  some  other  source  than  that  which  we  are  able  to 
postulate  directly  for  LD  and  BI,  and  yet  was  certainly  a  branch  of 
the  same  tree. 

How  then  are  the  points  in  which  Car.  varies  from  the  other 
poems  to  be  accounted  for?  Heretofore  no  satisfactory  explanation 
of  the  problem  has  been  given.  All  investigators  have  agreed  that 
Car.  represents  in  some  of  its  features  an  older  form  of  the  story,  or 
an  earlier  tradition  than  that  we  have  in  LD  and  BI ;  but,  neverthe- 
less, I  hope  to  be  able  to  show  that  a  large  part  of  it  is  based  on  a 
later  work  than  either  of  the  other  two,  and  that  in  its  present  form 
it  is  but  a  late  rifacimento,  in  which  are  introduced  important  varia- 
tions from  its  original.  This  becomes  evident  when  one  notes  the 
striking  resemblance  which  a  large  part  of  the  poem  bears  to  inci- 
dents in  the  French  prose  romance  of  Tristan. 

If  we  think  again  of  tlie  first  part  of  the  story  as  it  is  found  in  the 
Italian  poem,  we  remember  that  there  the  hero  is  represented  as  the 
son  of  a  knight  who  was  a  great  favorite  of  King  Arthur's  and  there- 
fore aroused  the  jealousy  of  the  other  courtiers.  He  was  murdered 
by  the  three  brothers,  Calvano,  Agueriesse,  and  Mordarette,  who,  how- 
ever, did  not  thereby  incur  the  displeasure  of  the  king  (because,  of 
course,  the  murderers  were  not  known  to  him)  but  continued  to  live 
at  his  court.     The  widowed  mother,  knowing  that  her  only  son,  then 


1 84  Ji:  J/.   Schoficld. 

very  young,  would  be  likely  to  suffer  a  like  fate,  to  avoid  this,  fled  to 
a  wild  forest,  where  she  continued  to  live  alone  for  many  years  before 
her  whereabouts  became  known.  She  aimed  to  bring  up  her  son  so 
much  apart  from  the  world  that  he  would  never  become  a  knight. 
The  boy  was  accustomed  to  roam  about  in  the  forest,  killing  the  wild 
beasts  with  his  javelins,  entirely  ignorant  of  the  outer  world.  One 
day,  however,  he  saw  by  chance  some  knights  in  shining  armor,  and 
the  sight  of  them  aroused  in  him  a  desire  to  give  up  his  solitary  life. 
His  mother  with  sorrow  saw  him  depart.  The  boy  went  to  Arthur's 
court,  was  there  made  a  knight,  and  soon  set  out  on  a  mission  to 
prove  his  valor.  The  reports  of  his  exploits  delighted  Arthur,  but, 
we  may  suppose,  afflicted  Calvano  and  Mordarette,  who  were  still  at 
court  and  feared  his  revenge  on  them  for  the  murder  of  his  father. 

This  introduction  differs  markedly  from  any  other  we  have  pre- 
served, and  has  always  appeared  an  inexplicable  perversion  of 
what  was  thought  to  be  the  original  form  of  the  story.  If,  how- 
ever, we  examine  the  account  of  Perceval  which  is  included  in 
the  prose  romance  of  Tristafi,^  we  find  the  matter  explained,  for 
the  summary  I  have  just  given  of  the  opening  of  Car.  might 
equally  well  be  a  summary  of  the  story  of  Perceval's  youth  as 
found  there.  The  chief  difference  is  that  in  Tristan,  although 
Gauvain  is  indeed  represented  as  the  murderer  of  Perceval's  father, 
the  animosity  of  Gauvain  and  his  brothers  is  also  directed  against 
Perceval's  brothers,  especially  Lamorat,  whose  death  they  finally  bring 
about.  In  Loseth's  summary  we  read  (§  302)  :  "  Le  roi  PeHnor  a  eu 
cinq  ills,  qui  se  distinguent  a  la  cour  d'Arthur  au  point  d'^veiller  les 
plus  vives  jalousies ;  Arthur  lui-meme  les  estime  beaucoup.  .  .  .  Les 
fils  de  Pelinqr  sont  hais  de  Gauvain  et  de  ses  frferes  a  cause  de  leur 
gloire."  And  again  (§  246)  :  "  INIais  Gauvain  et  ses  freres  en  sont 
iristre  et  dolent ;  ils  haissent  Lamorat,  car  ils  savent  que  Gauvain  a 
tu6  le  roi  PeUinor,  le  pere  de  Lamorat,  et  ils  craignent  toujours  la 
vengeance.  .  .  .  Gauvain  et  ses  freres,  Agravain,  Mordret  et  Guerret 
ne  pensent  qu'a  le  mettre  a  mort.  Lamorat  lui-meme  ne  se  doute 
de  rien ;  il  se  croit  aim^  de  tout  le  monde."  One  day  while  Arthur 
is  at  Camelot  news  comes  that  Lamorat  has  won  in  the  tourney  to 


1  Loseth,  Le  Roman  en  Prose  de  Tristan,  Paris,  1891,  §§  302,  306-310.     See 
also  §§  246,  254,  255. 


Studies  on  the  Lib  cans  Des  conns.  185 

which  most  of  the  knights  have  gone.  "  '  Si  Lamorat  savait  qui  a  tu6 
son  pere,  il  le  vengerait  bien,'  dit-on  a  la  cour,  ou  le  meurtrier  n'est 
pas  connu.  Gauvain  est  tres  m^content  de  ce  nouveau  triomphe  de 
Lamorat,  et  Gaheriet  aussi  (§  255)."  Soon  Gauvain  and  his  brothers 
succeed  in  kilHng  Lamorat  and  Driant.  News  of  the  murder  is 
brought  to  Arthur,  but  the  names  of  the  murderers  are  concealed. 
It  is  then  told  (§  308)  how  Agloval  "arrive  dans  un  pays  sauvage  et 
divers,  pres  de  la  tour  ou  sa  mere  s'est  retiree  avec  le  jeune  Perceval 
et  oil  elle  pleure  la  mort  de  Pelinor,  de  Lamorat  et  de  Driant ;  elle 
espere  au  moins  empecher  son  fils  cadet  de  devenir  chevalier. 
Agloval  rencontre  Perceval,  qui  aloit  tot  centre  val  la  plaigne  gitant  et 
lancent  javeloz  que  il  tenoit,  et  corroit  une  heure  avant  et  V autre 
arrieres,  une  haul  et  Vautre  bas.  Les  armes  d'Agloval  .  .  . 
brillent  au  soleil."  This  is  something  new  and  attractive  to  Perceval 
and  "  il  desire  aller  a  la  cour  d'Arthur  pour  etre  arm6  chevalier  de  la 
main  du  roi  "  (§  309).  The  mother,  who  "se  d^sole  d'abord  de 
I'arriv^e  d'un  chevaher,"  is  overcome  with  grief  at  her  son's  departure. 
The  two  brothers,  however,  go  to  Arthur's  court,  where  the  king 
knights  Perceval.  Gauvain  and  his  brothers  fear  that  the  boy  will 
take  vengeance  on  them  for  the  murder  of  his  father  and  brothers. 
It  is  now  easy  to  explain  most  of  the  names  which  are  found  in 
the  Italian  poem.  The  three  brothers,  Calvano,  Agueriesse,  and  yQ^_ 
Mordarette,  are  none  other  than  Gauvain,  Gucrrehes^  and  Mordret. 
Dondinello  is  the  French  Dodinel.  True,  Dodinel  is  not  the  young 
knight's  father  :  he  is  nevertheless  mentioned  in  the  same  connection, 
as  having  been  conquered  by  one  of  Perceval's  brothers."  When  the 
Italian  poet  decided  to  call  his  hero  Carduino  instead  of  Perceval  it 
is  not  remarkable  that  he  discarded  the  name  of  the  father  also  (if 
indeed,  Pelinor  was  the  form  in  the  immediate  source  he  had  before 
him).^     The  name  Carduifio^  may  have  been  suggested  by  that  of 


1  Guerrehes  and  Gaheres  are  constantly  confused  in  the  MSS.,  according  to 
Loseth,  Tristan,  p.  22,  n.  4.  2  §  ^07. 

3  Possibly  the  surname  of  Dodinel,  le  Sauvage,  may  have  had  something  to  do 
with  his  being  made  the  father  of  Carduino. 

*  Rajna  thought  the  name  Carduino  suggested  by  Carduel,  and  pointed  out 
that  Car  ados  is  usually  found  in  Italian  in  the  form  Caradosso  (^Introd.,  pp.  xiii- 
xiv,  and  note  i).  Paris  is  of  the  opinion  that  it  may  be  an  alteration  of  the  Celtic 
name  Cardroain,  found,  for  example,  in  Durviart  {/list.  Litt.,  XXX,  187,  note  2). 


1 86  ;/:  //.  Sc/ioficU. 

Caratfos,  who  plays  an  important  part  in  the  prose  romance.  In  the 
Conte  (ill  Graal,  12595  ff.,  we  have  an  account  of  the  dubbing  of  a 
youth  Carados  by  Arthur  at  a  Pentecostal  feast  at  Carduel ;  and  the 
name  is  in  this  passage  spelt  Caradiin.  A  diminutive  of  this  would 
easily  give  the  name  of  our  hero  :  Caradun,  *  Caradunino  or  *  Car- 
dunino,  Carduino} 

It  is  also  a  confirmation  of  the  opinion  that  the  prose  Tristan 
influenced  the  Italian  poem  that  the  author  of  Car.  represents  Arthur's 
court  as  being  at  Camelot,  which  is  never  mentioned  in  BI  or  I.D,  but 
which  is  the  regular  situation  in  the  prose  Tristan  (although  Perceval 
does,  indeed,  go  to  Cardueil).  Further,  the  name  of  Merlin  enters 
into  both  Car.  and  the  prose  romance  in  this  connection,  as  constantly, 
while  Merlin  is  nowhere  mentioned  in  BI  or  LD.  The  only  other 
personal  name  in  Car.  (except  those  of  the  three  wise  men  of  the 
East,  in  the  invocation)  is  Beatricie  "  dal  viso  rosato,"  -  by  which 
name  the  princess  in  serpent  form  is  called.  This  is  evidently  an 
invention  of  the  Italian  author.^ 

But  not  only  does  the  prose  Tristan  explain  the  introduction  and 
general  setting  of  the  Italian  poem  :  it  also  accounts  for  the  varia- 
tions in  the  other  adventure  in  which  Car.  has  been  supposed  to 
differ  most  from  its  original,  viz.,  the  fight  with  the  single  knight. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  in  LD  and  BI  we  have  a  knight  who 
refuses  to  let  the  young  hero  pass  until  he  fights  with  him,  for  he  is 
accustomed  to  challenge  every  warrior  who  appears  at  that  place. 
In  Car.,  however,  w-e  read  that  the  boy  and  his  companions  are  riding 


Curiously  enough,  in  Meleranz  von  dem  Pleier,  3575,  etc.,  we  have  a  knight  whose 
father  is  Kardmz,  and  who,  when  asked,  gives  his  name  as  Lybials. 

1  In  the  Conte  du  Graal,  \z']\i„  1 27 1 9,  we  have  the  name  spelt  Car  adieu. 
This  form,  with  a  diminutive  ending  added,  might  also  give  the  Italian  name  — 
*  Caradieuino,  *  Caraduino,  Carduino.  Child,  Ballads,  I,  264,  notes  also  the  oc- 
currence in  the  Mottuls  Saga  of  a  form  Karadin  which  he  suggests  may  be  for 
Karadiu. 

2  In  the  Tristan  poem  in  the  same  MS.,  published  by  Rajna  along  with  the 
Carduino,  we  read  also  of  "  Isotta  bella  col  viso  rosato  "  (5,  2). 

8  Mennung,  by  a  curious  mistake  (p.  34),  gives  the  name  Giovane  to  the 
widowed  mother  merely  because  the  adjective  happens  to  be  spelt  with  a  capital 
letter  as  the  first  word  of  the  line :  "  Giovane  e  fresca  e  bella  di  natura  "  (i,  6,  2). 
He  might  have  noticed  the  very  same  line  in  the  Secondo  Cantare  (9,  2),  where  it 
is  used  to  describe  the  enchantress. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Descomis.  187 

along  the  way  when  a  knight  appears,  who,  happening  to  notice  the 
beauty  of  Car.'s  companion,  at  once  demands  that  she  be  given  over 
to  him ;  otherwise  Car.  shall  lose  his  head.  But  Car.  will  fight  first, 
and  manages  to  kill  his  opponent.  He  learns  that  the  latter  is 
Agueriesse,^  one  of  his  father's  murderers,  and  thus  his  revenge  is 
pardy  performed. 

In  the  prose  Tristan,  in  direct  connection  with  the  story  of  Per- 
ceval and  his  brothers  (§  304)  which  we  have  just  considered,  we  are 
told  how  "  Gauvain  rencontre  un  chevalier,  accompagn^  d'une  belle 
dame,  qu'il  veut  lui  enlever."  The  knight  is  "  sans  armure  "  (Car. 
has  no  arms  except  his  two  rude  spears)  and  is  overcome ;  but 
assistance  arrives  and  Gauvain  is  finally  worsted.  In  Car.  this  fight 
is  said  to  take  place  not  with  Gauvain,  but  with  Agueriesse.  This 
change  seems  to  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the  first  fight  which  Perc. 
has  in  the  Tristan  is  with  Gaheriet.  He  fights  to  avenge  his  father's 
death,  and  is  victorious.  "  Perc.  quitte  la  cour  pour  se  mettre  en 
quete  de  Lancelot  .  .  .  Perc,  conduit  par  une  demoiselle,  arrive 
dans  la  Forest  pcrilleuse,  pres  d'une  ile  ou  sa  soeur,  d^sirant  venget 
la  mort  de  Pelinor  et  de  ses  fr^res  sur  Gauvain,  a  fait  construire  deux 
tours ;  .  .  .  Perc.  y  vient  et  lutte  victorieusement  avec  Gaheriet ; 
sur  le  conseil  de  Perc,  qui  ne  se  doute  pas  que  sa  soeur  est  dans 
I'ile,  tous  deux  s'enfuient  ensemble  du  chateau"  (§  288^).^  These 
two  incidents  combine  to  form  the  account  in  Car.,  where  also,  we 
may  note.  Car.  hurries  on  for  fear  his  killing  Agueriesse  may  be 
revenged. 

There  is  one  more  point  in  which  Car.  varies  from  LD  and*BI, 
namely,  in  the  fact  that  Car.,  before  he  returned  to  court,  is  said 
to  have  begun  a  war  against  those  who  had  murdered  his  father 
(ii,  67,  7-8).  This  also  may  have  been  suggested  by  the  Tristan, 
where  we  read  (§  313)  :  "Gauvain  et  ses  freres  se  d^cident  a  cher- 
cher  Perceval,  dont  ils  craignent  la  vengeance,  pour  le  mettre  a 
mort."  It  was  then  natural  for  the  Italian  poet  to  make  Carduino 
(i.e.  Perceval)  enter   into   a   struggle  with   his   enemies   before   he 


1  "  Ce  recit  [i.e.  the  incident  in  Car.]  est  en  contradiction  avec  les  traditions 
re9ues:  dans  \Artus,  dans  le  Lancelot  et  dans  le  Tristan,  Gaheriet  est  Ic  plus 
loyal,  le  plus  preux  et  le  plus  sage  des  quatre  fils  du  roi  Loth."  P.  Paris,  Rom., 
IV,  141. 

2  This  last  incident  is  from  MS.  12599;   see  Loseth,  pp.  191,  2x3. 


l\>i,V«4. 


l88  //:  //.   Schofield. 

returned  home.     In  Tristan  they  were  away  from  Arthur's  court  in 
search  of  liini. 

My  behef  that  Car.  is  based  partly  on  the  account  of  Perceval  given 
in  the  prose  Tristan  is  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  there  occurs  in 
the  same  codex  (Riccardiana,  2873)  with  it  a  Uttle  poem  entitled, 
Cantare  quando  Tristano  e  Lancielotto  coiihatetero  al petro7ie  di  Mer- 
lino,  first  edited  by  Rajna,  along  with  the  Carduino,  in  1873,  and,  of 
course,  founded  on  the  Tristan  story.  The  greater  part  of  it  might, 
indeed,  almost  be  taken  from  the  very  form  before  us.  This  will  be 
seen  if  we  glance  only  at  the  short  resume  of  MS.  758,  printed  in  the 
Preface  (pp.  vi  ff.)  of  Loseth's  edition  of  the  prose  romance.  On 
pp.  x-xi  we  read :  "  Messire  Tristans,  qui  s'estoit  partis  blechies  de 
cest  tournoieinent,  jeut  grant  piesche  viallades  a  ung  chastel  nomine 
Daras  \Je  chastel  Daras^  qui  estoit  asses pres  du  chastel  aux  Pucellez. 
Et  quant  ilfu  garis  il prist  congie  au  seigneur  de  laiens  et  cevaulcha 
plusieurs  journees  sans  plente  d'avetitures  trouver  qui  a  center  faiche. 
Et  tant  esra  qu'il  vint  a  ung  perron  no7n??ie  le  Perron  Merlin,  asses 
pres  de  Kamaelot,  et  pour  che  que  luy  et  Pallamedes  avoient  prins  Jour 
de  combatre  en  ce  lieic.  Lancelot  arrive  ;  Tristan  le  prend  pour  Pala- 
mede  et  le  d^fie.  lis  s'abattent  I'un  I'autre,  les  chevaux  sur  les  corps. 
Puis  ils  chamaillent,  et  le  combat  devient  terrible ;  leurs  armes  sont 
mises  en  pieces,  et  ils  sont  couverts  de  blessures ;  a  la  fin  leurs  6p6es 
leur  tournent  dans  leurs  mains.  lis  se  reposent,  forc^ment,  et  Tris- 
tan demande  a  Lancelot  son  nom.  Apprenant  qui  il  est,  Tristan  est 
ravi,  s'excuse  de  I'avoir  combattu  et  lui  exprime  son  affection  et  son 
admiration;  \\%  s^entrejirent  la  plus  grant  Joie  du  monde"^  Whether 
this  poem  was  in  reality  drawn  from  the  French  Tristan  or  the 
Italian  translations  does  not  concern  us  now.  It  is  sufficient  that  in 
direct  connection  with  the  Carduino  we  have  another  little  poem  in 
the  same  style  dealing  with  Tristan.  But  this  is  not  all.  Rajna  brings 
forward  three  other  ItaHan  poems,  the  Bataglia  de  Tristano  e  Lance- 
lotto  e  della  Reina  Isotta,  the  Morte,  and  the  Vendetta  di  Trista?io, 
and  concludes  (p.  lix)   that  these  three  formed  part  of  a  series  of 


1  With  this  cf.  further  §§  202-203.  ^^  it  noted  that  this  account  makes 
Tristan  arrive  at  the  stone  first,  that  we  have  the  court  at  Camelot,  and  mention 
of  the  castle  of  Daras.  For  a  summary  of  the  Italian  poem  see  Rajna,  Introd., 
pp.  xliv  ff.,  and  for  a  discussion  of  the  source  see  pp.  xlvi  ff.,  and  P.  Paris,  Rom., 
IV,  143. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Dcscomis.  189 

little  poems  which  had  Tristan  for  their  principal  subject.  He  is 
disposed  to  put  the  date  of  our  poem,  along  with  the  Morte  and  the 
Vendetta,  in  the  second  half  of  the  fourteenth  century.  Gaspary  ^ 
fixes  the  position  of  these  three  poems  and  Car.  more  definitely,  at 
about  the  year  1379.  Thus  we  have  before  us  a  series  of  short  poems 
of  chivalry  dealing  with  separate  adventures  of  knights  of  the  Round 
Table,  in  all  of  which  Tristan  is  the  prominent  figure.  They  are  all 
in  the  same  oitava  rima  and  in  the  same  style.  Is  it  remarkable 
that  the  author  of  Carduino  (who  may  have  been  the  author  of  the 
rest  of  the  series)  should  have  reverted  to  the  story  of  Tristan  for  his 
version  of  the  boyhood  of  his  hero  ? 

But  who  was  this  poet  ?  And  would  the  style  of  poem  we  have 
before  us  in  Car.  and  the  method  of  treatment  of  the  subject  be  in 
accord  with  what  we  know  of  him?  D'Ancona  and  Rajna  feel  con- 
fident that  the  author  of  our  poem  was  Antonio  Pucci,  the  Florentine 
poet,  who  was  born  in  the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century  and 
died  about  1390.  He  was  not  of  noble  birth,  but,  as  D'Ancona  says,^ 
he  represented  the  most  perfect  type  of  the  popular  poet  of  his  age  ; 
indeed,  he  was  a  sort  of  higher  ballad-singer,  even  if  he  did  not  use 
his  calling  to  earn  money.  Almost  all  of  his  poems  were  intended  for 
the  people.  They  were  written  with  an  eye  single  to  popular  presen- 
tation, and  not  for  lengthy  recitation  in  the  halls  of  the  nobility.  We 
should  not  then  be  surprised  to  find  that  he  treats  his  sources  with  free- 
dom ;  and  his  poems  would  have  been  unsuited  to  their  purpose  had 
they  been  long  and  detailed.  This  explains  why  the  little  Italian 
poems  deal  briefly  with  a  few  episodes  only,  extracted  from  the  gen- 
eral fund  of  the  stories  of  chivalry.  It  helps  us  to  understand  the 
mode  of  treatment  of  the  story  in  Car.,  where  we  have  the  whole 
account  given  in  115  stanzas  of  ottava  riinn,  while  the  Tristan  poem 
following  is  completed  in  42  similar  stanzas.  Be  it  noted,  moreover, 
that  the  former  poem,  being  longer  than  the  others,  is  divided  into 
two  cantari,  as  if  arranged  for  recitation  on  two  occasions. 

In  it  we  have  also  (what  was  undoubtedly  an  addition  of  Pucci's) 
the  three  opening  stanzas  telling  of  the  significance  of  the  wise  men 


^  See  Gesch.  der  ital.  Lit.,  II,  256-7. 

^  La  Poesia  Popolare  Ltaliana,  Leghorn,  1878,  p.  43;  cf.  D'Ancona  and  Bacci, 
Man.  delta  Lett.  Ltal.,  Florence,  I,  530,  and  Gaspary,  II,  81  ff. 


1 90  Ji:  II.  Schoficld. 

of  the  East.  The  second  cantarc  opens  in  a  like  manner,  and  both 
openings '  bear  witness  to  the  popular  character  of  Pucci's  works. 
They  remind  us  of  the  opening  of  the  English  poem,  which  was  also 
a  popular  production  ;  but  they  contrast  markedly  with  that  of  BI, 
written,  as  it  was,  for  a  very  different  purpose. 

But,  as  Gaspary  points  out  in  his  discussion  of  die  Ritterdichtung; 
the  knightly  poetry  flourished  in  its  Franco-Italian  form  in  upper 
Italy  at  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  and  the  first  half  of  the  'fourteentl\ 
centuries,  and  from  there  went  to  Tuscany,  where  it  generally  clotlied 
itself  in  the  ottava  riina,  and  became  somewhat  ennobled  in  style. 
For  a  long  time,  however,  it  remained  the  property  of  the  people. 
"  Die  hoheren  Kreise  der  Gesellschaft  interessirten  sich  nicht  weniger 
ftir  die  aus  Frankreich  gekommenen  Erzahlungen  ;  aber  sie  bedurften 
nicht  so  sehr  der  Uebertragungen  und  Umformungen  und  konnten 
die  Originale  selbst  lesen."  Of  the  romances  of  the  Breton  cycle, 
adds  Gaspary,  "  finden  sich  nur  wenige  altere  Versionen  in  italieni- 
scher  Sprache."  These  are  especially  the  two  prose  redactions  of  the 
Tavola  Rotonda,  one  in  a  MS.  (Riccardiana)  perhaps  of  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fourteenth  century,  the  other  (Laurenziana)  much  later 
and  showing  reminiscences  of  Dante's  Comedy,  together  with  those 
poems  we  have  already  spoken  of  as  belonging  approximately  to  the 
year  1379.  The  people  had  before  preferred  the  French  national 
cycle  of  Charlemagne  and  his  paladins,  the  stories  of  Arthur,  Tristan, 
and  Lancelot  being  more  suited  to  please  the  cultivated  classes. 

Heretofore  Car.  has  been  regarded  as  occupying  a  somewhat  unique 
position  among  Italian  Arthur  romances.  The  position  to  which  we 
have  been  able  to  assign  it  by  the  help  of  the  light  thrown  on  the 
subject  by  the  prose  Tristan,  accords  better  with  what  we  know  of 
the  history  of  the  Arthur  cycle  in  Italy.  Mennung's  view  (p.  43), 
"  dass  wir  es  hier  [i.e.  in  the  enfances  of  Car.]  unbedingt  mit  einer 
primitiven  Gestalt  der  Parzival-Sage  zu  thun  haben,"  can  no  longer  be 
maintained.  If  Car.  preserves  some  primitive  elements,  they  are 
remnants  of  the  form  of  the  story  on  which  it  is  based.  It  is  clear 
that  most  of  the  account  in  Car.  is  drawn  from  a  late,  distorted  prose 
version.  "Mennung's  second  idea  that  all ihe Dummlingsmdrchen  (as 


1  Cf.  also  the  opening  stanza  of  Tristano  e  Lancidotto. 

2  See  Gesch.  der  Ital.  Lit.,  II,  256  (chap.  xx). 


Studies  on  the  Libeatis  Descomis.  191 

he  calls  it)  is  an  addition  of  Pucci's,  and  had  no  place  in  his  original, 
the  present  investigation  has  shown  to  be  erroneous.  We  have  not 
to  do  with  a  fusion  of  two  elements  which  were  previously  distinct 
and  separate,  —  a  fusion  which  therefore  "notwendig  irgend  einem 
Reimer  zugeschrieben  werden  muss,"  for  an  account  of  the  hero's 
youth  was  almost  certainly  an  essential  part  of  the  Desc.  cycle  from 
the  beginning  (see  pages  146  ff.,  above).  The  fact  that  it  is  found  in 
the  English  poem  LD  shows  that  it  was,  at  any  rate,  in  the  original 
on  which  Car.  was  based.^ 

In  regard  to  this  introductory  part  of  the  Desc.  stories,  it  is  impor- 
tant to  remember  that  in  the  first  continuation  of  the  Perceval  (that 
by  the  so-called  Pseudo-Gautier)  it  is  twice  related  how  Gauvain  had 
a  son  by  a  maiden  whom  he  found  in  a  tent^  in  a  forest,  and  that  an 
imperfect  summary  of  this  boy's  youthful  exploits  is  given,''  —  a  sum- 
mary which  shows  some  resemblances  to  the  enfances  of  Perceval 
and  those  of  the  hero  of  the  Desc.  poems,  but  which  has  nothing  to 
say  of  the  fier  baiser  and  which  does  not  give  the  boy  any  name. 
Paris  {Hist.  Litt.,  XXX,  185,  n.  2)  calls  attention  to  a  possible  rela- 
tion between  the  Pseudo-Gautier  story  and  the  account  of  LD's 
origin  given  at  the  outset  in  the  English  poem  (see  LD,  8-9).  The 
second  continuator  of  the  Perceval,  Gautier  (or  Gaucher),  introduces 
Li  Beaus  Desconeus  by  name  as  the  son  of  Gawain,'*  and  in  a  fashion 
which  suggests  that  he  knew  the  story  in  Pseudo-Gautier  and 
intended  to  identify  Li  Beaus  with  the  unnamed  boy  told  of  by  the 
latter.^  The  name  itself  Gautier  may  have  got  from  Version  B  of 
the  Desc.  story."  It  is  hazardous,  however,  in  the  present  state  of 
Perceval  investigation,  to  attempt  to  fix  precisely  the  relation  be- 
tween Gautier  and  the  Desc.  poems.     Mennung  thinks  that  Gautier 


^  Paris,  Rom.,  XX,  299. 

2  Pseudo-Gautier,  11987-12450,  16856-17525.  Cf.  Paris,  Ilisi.  Litt.,  XXX, 
192,  n,  2  ;  Waitz,  Die  Fortsetzungen  von  Chretiens  Perceval  le  Gallois,  Strass- 
burg,  1890,  pp.  6,  22,  27,  28. 

8  Pseudo-Gautier,  20380-831.     See  Paris,  Hist.  Litt.,  XXX,  192-194. 

*  Gautier,  24584;   see  also  33402-4.     Cf.  Paris,  LList  Litt.,  XXX,  194. 

^  This  may  perhaps  serve  as  a  reason  (in  addition  to  those  given  by  Heinzel, 
Gralrotnane,  pp.  52,  53)  for  believing  that  the  work  of  Pseudo-Gautier  was  not 
(as  Paris  thought,  LList.  Litt.,  I.e. ;  Litt.  fr.  an.  Moyen-Age,  2d  ed.,  p.  99)  un- 
known to  Gautier.  <*  See  p.  157,  above. 


102  n:  //.  schoficid. 

borrowed  two  features  from  BI  and  perhaps  a  third:'  (i)  the 
stealing  of  the  dog  (cf.  BI,  1260  ff.,  with  Perc,  22603  ff.)  ;  (2)  the 
kniglu  in  love  with  an  ugly  lady  (cf.  BI,  i  70S  ff.,  with  Perc.  253S0  ff.); 
(3)  the  gue  amorous  (cf.  BI,  318  ff.,  with  Perc,  24207  ff.).  In  the 
first  and  third  of  these  places  there  is  no  necessity  of  postulating  an 
obligation  on  the  side  of  either  author.  In  the  second  instance,  if 
there  was  any  borrowing  (which  is  by  no  means  certain)  a  strong  case 
could  be  made  out  for  Renaud  as  the  borrower.  In  a  previous  section 
(see  pp.  139  ff.,  above)  it  has  been  pointed  out  that  indications  of 
Renaud's  having  borrowed  from  Gautier  are  not  lacking.  If,  now, 
Gautier  may  be  supposed  to  have  been  acquainted  with  Version  B 
and  Renaud  to  have  been  acquainted  with  Gautier's  work,  all  the 
apparent  relations  between  BI  and  Gautier  would  be  explained,  and 
we  should  have  made  some  advance  towards  a  chronology  at  once  of 
the  lost  Desc.  poems  and  of  the  continuators  of  Chretien's  Perceval. 
But  I  refrain  from  entering  upon  these  dubious  matters  at  present, 
reserving  a  discussion  of  them  for  a  future  opportunity. 

In  his  effort  to  make  the  introduction  in  Car.  represent  a  very  early 
form  of  the  Perceval  story,  IMennung  has  laid  much  stress  on  the 
agreements  between  Car.  and  the  late  English  metrical  romance  of 
Sir  Percyvelle^  where  also  there  is  no  reference  to  the  Grail  Quest, 
and  has  even  gone  so  far  as  to  believe  (see  pp.  43-4)  that  Pucci  got 
his  account  of  the  boy's  youth  from  an  Englishman  who  made  known 
the  Percyvelle  form  of  the  story  when  on  a  visit  to  Italy.  The 
relations  I  have  pointed  out  between  Car.  and  the  prose  Tristaii  of 
course  make  this  conjecture  impossible ;  but,  inasmuch  as  Pucci  has 
preser\'ed  in  Car.  some  of  the  features  of  the  original  Desc.  story, 
combined  with  his  borrowings  from  the  Tristan,  it  is  well  to  examine 
the  points  wherein  his  poem  agrees  with  the  English  Perc.  and  the 
French  Perceval  li  Galois. 

Mennung  points  out  (pp.  40  ff.)  the  following  agreements  of  Car. 
with  the  English  Percyvelle  : 

I.  In  P.  the  boy's  father  is  a  brother-in-law  of  the  king  and  beloved 
by  him.     In  Car.  he  also  is  a  favorite  of  the  king. 


'  Der  Bel  Inconnu,  pp.  17,  1 8.     With  regard  to  the  third  feature  Mennung 
expresses  himself  with  some  reserve. 

-  Thornton  Romances,  ed.  Hallivvell,  1844. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus.  193 

2.  The  death  of  the  father  is  explained,  and  the  boy  later  takes 
revenge  on  the  slayer.  [But  Car.  is  told  of  the  whole  situation 
before  he  leaves  his  mother,  and  she  prompts  him  to  revenge. 
As  to  P.,  "  he  wiste  never  that   he   hade  a  fader   to  be  slayne " 

(571-2)-] 

3.  The  murder  was  due  to  jealousy.  [But  in  the  one  case  the 
victim  is  killed  openly  in  a  tournament,  without  any  secrecy,  by  one 
knight  only.  In  the  other  several  knights  conspire  and  slay  him 
secretly.  They  do  not  incur  the  displeasure  of  the  king,  for  they  are 
not  known.  In  P.  the  Red  Knight  becomes  the  plague  of  the  king. 
In  Car.  the  murderers  stay  peaceably  at  his  court.] 

4.  Spears  play  an  important  part  in  both  poems,  and  in  each  case 
it  is  said  that  they  were  found.  [But  in  Car.  the  boy  accidentally 
finds  two  in  the  woods  which  have  been  left  there  by  hunters.  His 
mother  is  disturbed  by  the  accident,  for  all  her  efforts  have  been 
directed  against  his  seeing  anything  which  may  arouse  his  curiosity 
to  know  of  the  outer  world.  In  P.  the  mother  gives  him  one  little 
Scots  spear  which  she  had  carefully  brought  with  her  from  home. 
She  merely  tells  him  she  found  it.] 

5.  There  are,  however,  certain  agreements  in  the  way  in  which 
he  questions  his  mother  as  to  his  new  treasure. 

*0  madre  mia,  de!  dimmi  inmantanente : 

che  e  questo  che  lucie  e  taglia  tanto?'     (i,  13,  1-2.) 

'  Swete  modir,'  sayde  he 

'What  manere  of  thyng  may  this  bee, 

That  je  no  we  hafe  takene  mee?'     (197  ff.) 

He  asks  also  how  they  are  called.     Cf  'Come  son  chiamat[e]?' 
(i,  12,  8)  with  'What  calle  ^ee  this  wande?'  (200). 

6.  In  each  case  he  is  clothed  in  skins.  [This  is  common  to  all 
versions.] 

It  will  be  noticed  that  whatever  agreement  there  is  between  Car. 
and  the  English  Perc.  is,  then,  in  the  part  of  the  latter  which  pre- 
cedes that  in  which  the  English  author  follows  Chrt^tien's  narrative 
closely. 

We  find,also,  that  Car.  presents  the  following  points  of  resemblance 
to  the  interpolated  introduction  to  the  French  Perceval  in  places  iji 


194  //•   /^-   ScJiofichl 

which  the  latter  differs  from  the  EngHsh  Penyvelle?  (i)  The  mother 
takes  her  treasures  with  her  to  the  woods.  Cf.  Perc.  1 1 1 7-8  with 
Car.  i,  6,  8.  (2)  It  is  told  how,  when  she  had  reached  the  depths 
of  the  forest,  she  had  a  dwelling  built.  Cf.  Perc.  1 197-9  with  Car.  i, 
7-  '-3-  (3)  Mention  is  made  of  the  trouble  at  court  because  of 
their  friends'  ignorance  of  their  whereabouts.  Cf.  Perc.  i2o8ff.  with 
Car.  i,  7,  5-8.  (4)  The  boy  believes  what  his  mother  tells  him  of 
their  condition.  Cf.  Perc.  1224  {{.  with  Car.  i,  10,  4-8.  (5)  There 
is  an  account  of  the  boy's  going  out  into  the  woods  twice.  It  is 
on  the  second  occasion  that  he  sees  human  beings  like  himself. 
On  his  return  home  each  time  he  is  welcomed  by  his  mother. 
(6)  Javelins  are  his  sole  weapons  in  both.  He  always  carries  them 
{Perc.  1263). 

All  these  agreements  are,  as  I  have  said,  with  a  part  of  Perc.  not 
written  by  Chretien.  With  the  main  body  of  the  poem  Car.  shows  no 
significant  agreement,  and  we  are  safe  in  concluding  that  Pucci  did 
not  know  it.  The  English  Perc,  on  the  other  hand,  cannot  be  said 
to  show  any  agreement  of  importance  with  the  part  by  the  interpo- 
lator, but  is  strikingly  like  Chretien's  narrative.^  Why  may  we  not 
conclude  that  the  author  of  the  spurious  Perceval  introduction,  the 
author  of  the  original  of  Car.,  the  author  of  the  English  Perceval, 
and  the  rest,  drew  from  similar  stories  which  are  not  now  preserved  ? 
That  stories  of  youthful  heroes  of  this  kind  were  very  common  out- 
side of  our  cycle  and  without  any  connection  with  the  Quest  of  the 
Grail,  is  well  known.^ 


^  Rajna  {Introd.,  pp.  xvi  ff.)  has  cited  some  of  these  agreements;  cf.  Mennung, 
PP-  41-3- 

2  See  Steinbach,  Ueber  den  Ein/luss  des  C.  v.  T.  auf  die  altengl.  Lit.,  Leipzig, 
1885;  cf.  Golther,  Chrestiens  Conte  del  Graal,  in  Sitzungsberichte  der  k.  b.  Akad. 
der  Wiss.  zu  Miinchen,  June  7,  1890,  pp.  203  ff. ;  and  Kolbing,  Germ.,  XIV,  180. 
On  Das  Percevalmotiv  ohne  den  Oral,  see  Heinzel,  Ueber  die  franz.  Gralro- 
mane,  in  Vienna  Denkschrifleti,  1892,  XL,  iii,  22.  On  the  similarity  of  the 
Pseudo-Chretien  introduction  with  that  of  Wolfram,  see  Martin,  Ziir  Grahage, 
p.  16  (cf.  Heinzel,  p.  81). 

^  Some  of  the  most  important  of  these  are:  (i)  Cuchulinn  in  the  Tain  bo 
Cualgne  :  analysis  in  O'Curry,  Manners  and  Customs,  II,  358  ff. ;  cf.  Zimmer,  Zt. 
f.  vergl.  Sprachforschung,  XXVIII,  446  ff.,  661  ff.;  GM.  Gel.  Anz.,  1890,  p.  519, 
n.  I.  (2)  Fergus,  ed.  Martin,  1872;  see  Einl,  pp.  xvii  ff.  (3)  The  lai  of 
^'''?^'_?4li?iby  Paris,  Rom.,y\\\,  29  ff.,  cf.  40  ff.  (cf.  Golther,  Munich  Acad., 


Studies  on  the  Libemis  Desconus.  195 

It  is  now  necessary  to  discuss  the  relations  between  Car.  and  LD 
and  BI. 

I  have  already  accounted  for  about  half  of  the  Italian  poem  in 
showing  the  origin  of  the  introduction  and  of  the  fight  with  one  of  the  ,- 
murderers  of  the  boy's  father.  The  striking  agreements  between  the 
remainder  and  the  LD-BI  group  admit  of  two  theories  only  :  either 
Pucci  borrowed  from  LD  or  BI  (or  their  direct  orjginal),  or  from  a 
form  of  the  story  such  as  might  come  from  Version  A.  Tliat  the 
former  of  these  is  almost  impossible  all  will  admit.  Pucci  shows  no 
trace  of  ever  having  known  LD  or  BI  or  Version  B.  We  cannot 
imagine  his  turning  the  father  of  the  young  hero  (Gawain,  above  all 
others)  into  the  murderer  of  the  boy's  father,  the  latter  becoming  an 
unimportant  knight.'  It  is  surely  incredible  that  he  could  have 
omitted  such  striking  incidents  as  the  adventures  about  the  dog,  the 
sparrow-hawk,  and  the  like,  and  have  reverted  in  the  adventures 
he  did  relate  to  a  more  primitive  form  of  the  story,  at  the  same  time 
leaving  no  trace  of  any  of  the  striking  names  which  are  peculiar  to 
the  Desc.  cycle. .  We  can  only  believe  that  Pucci  had  before  him  / 
some  form  of  the  story  drawn  from  Version  A. 

Some  will  doubtless  be  disposed  to  ask  why,  if  Car.  is  in  parts  so 
much  like  the  story  of  Perceval  as  told  in  the  prose  Tristan,  and  if 
this  latter  work  is  supposed  to  be  largely  based  on  Chretien's  lost 
poem,"  we  may  not  suppose  that  Pucci,  or  the  author  of  his  original, 
drew  directly  from  Chretien's  Tristan.  This,  indeed,  is  a  tempting 
theory,  for,  if  Chretien  had  embodied  in  his  earlier  poem  some 
account  of  the  youth  of  Perceval,  this  would  explain,  perhaps,  why, 
when  it  later  occurred  to  him  to  connect  Perceval  with  the  story 
of  the  Grail,  he  began  in  the  middle  of  the  account  of  the  boy's 
youth,  taking  it  for  granted  that  his  readers  were  familiar  with  the 
previous  account  of  the  father's  death,  etc.,  and  thus  leaving  a  lacuna, 
which,  being  soon  observed,  caused  an  interpolator  to  prefix  the 
omitted  beginning.  I  refrain  from  following  this  theory  farther  at 
this  time.     We  may  confidently  put  aside  the  suggestion  that  the 


Sitzungsberichte,  1890,  p.  214).  (4)  The  prose  introduction  to  the  Lay  of  the 
Great  Fool,  Campbell,  Pop.  Tales  of  the  West  Highlands,  1862,  III,  146  ff.;  cf. 
Nutt,  Studies,  pp.  154  ff.,  and  Folk- Lore  Recoxd,  IV  (Aryan  Expulsion-and- 
Return  Formula).     See  also  Paris,  Hist.  Litt.,  XXX,  194. 

^  Cf.  Mennung,  pp.  46-7.  ^  See  Loseth,  Preface,  p.  xxv. 


196  W.   II.   Schoficld. 

introduction  to  Car.  may  have  been  drawn  from  Chretien's  poem, 
because  it  is  not  credible  that  in  the  early  accounts  Gawain  could 
have  been  represented  in  such  an  unfavorable  light  as  that  in  which 
he  appears  in  Car.  and  the  prose  romance.  This  is  not  only  at  vari- 
ance with  Chretien  and  all  the  early  poets,  but  also  with  the  rest  of 
the  poems  of  our  cycle.  Even  Wirnt  von  Gravenberg  was  unwilling 
to  believe  that  Gawain  had  to  give  in  to  another  knight,  albeit  the 
latter  wore  a  magic  girdle,  and  declares  that  he  would  never  have 
put  such  a  thing  into  his  narrative  had  it  not  been  positively  asserted 
by  his  squire  in  spite  of  the  poet's  "  striving"  with  him  in  the  matter 
(Wig.,  p.  20,  vv.  15  ff.). 

Whether  Pucci  followed  his  original  closely  or  not  is,  of  course, 
uncertain,  and  is  a  point  we  can  never  hope  to  settle  definitely.  It 
seems  probable  that,  except  in  the  points  which  I  have  already 
pointed  out,  he  did  not  vary  much  from  the  story  he  was  following  ;  but 
he  probably  introduced  new  details  of  his  own  invention,  or  from  other 
stories  with  which  he  was  familiar,  and  relied  for  some  of  his  material 
on  the  popular  tradition  of  his  own  land.  This  accords,  it  will  be 
noticed,  with  what  we  know  of  the  Italian  poet.^  There  can  be  little 
doubt  that  Car.  was  specially  prepared  for  recitation  in  the  open  air  to 
an  audience  of  common  people,  who  delighted  in  the  marvellous  but 
cared  little  for  the  refinements  of  chivalry.  Indeed,  there  was  no 
possibility  of  detailed  elaboration,  for  the  poem  had  to  be  of  such 
a  length  as  would  not  weary  its  hearers.  Pucci,  therefore,  doubt- 
less felt  no  qualms  of  conscience  about  departing  from  his  original. 
He  was  not  writing  for  critics ;  he  was  merely  striving  to  please  an 
ignorant  populace.  It  was  for  this  latter  reason,  as  we  have  seen, 
that  he  gave  the  distinctively  Christian  tone  to  the  whole  poem, 
which  is  not  found  in  BI.  There  the  characters  go  to  mass  occa- 
sionally, and  sometimes  call  on  God  for  aid,  in  a  formal  way ;  but  it 
is  quite  evident  that  the  author  is  worldly-minded.  The  people  for 
whom  his  BI  was  intended  were  not  anxious  for  moral  lessons,  nor 
did  the  writer  feel  any  desire  to  give  them.  His  aim  was  to  interest, 
not  to  edify,  his  hearers  or  readers.  We  find  also  in  Car.  rude  touches 
which  would  appeal  to  an  uncultivated  audience  :  for  example,  the 


1  Cf.  D'Ancona,  Una  Poesia  ed  una  Prosa  di  Antoiiio  Pucci  in  11  Propugnatore, 
II,  2,  p.  407;   also  separately,  Bologna,  1870. 


S  Indies  on  the  Li  beans  Des  conns.  197 

great  eating  powers  of  the  hero,  the  roasting  of  the  hind  with  its  skin 
and  hoofs  on,  Car.'s  sUnging  it  over  his  shoulders  to  carry  it  off,  and 
the  like.  It  may  be  that  Car.'s  always  keeping  by  him  the  primitive 
weapons  he  used  in  the  forest  may  be  due  to  a  similar  reason.' 

THE   STAY   WITH   THE    ENCHANTRESS. 

That  which  is  of  most  interest  to  us  in  connection  with  this  part 
of  our  story  is  the  character  of  the  enchantress,  in  which  regard  LD, 
BI,  and  Car.  differ.  In  BI  she  is  very  human,  and  her  powers  as  a 
sorceress  do  not  make  her  unlike  other  women.  She  only  differs 
from  them  in  being  more  beautiful.  She  confesses  to  having  placed 
all  her  love  on  one  man.  When  he  thoughtlessly  leaves  her,  she 
determines  to  have  revenge ;  but,  when  she  sees  him  again,  she  finds 
it  impossible  to  conceal  her  love.  She  makes  him  uncomfortable  for 
a  time  by  playing  tricks  on  him  ;  but  later  they  laugh  heartily  over 
them  together,  and  she  explains  to  him  how  she  came  to  have  her 
skill  in  magic.  It  was  taught  her  by  her  father  as  a  special  sign  of 
his  love  to  her,  his  only  heir.  She  was  a  diligent  student  and  profited 
by  his  teaching.  There  is  nothing  remarkable,  then,  according  to  her 
own  report,  in  her  knowledge.  She  is  simply  the  daughter  of  a  king 
"  qui  moult  fu  sages  et  cortois,"  and  her  knowledge  of  sorcery  was  an 
accomplishment  laboriously  acquired.  All  traces  of  the  supernatural 
element  in  her  nature  have  nearly  faded  away,  and  the  reason  is  not 
hard  to  see  :  Renaud  identified  her  with  his  own  loved  one.^ 

In  LD  this  change  had  not  yet  been  made,  and  the  lady  of  the  He 
d'Or  is  there  a  regular  sorceress,  who  has  no  real  affection  for  LD, 
but  keeps  him  with  her  by  continued  exercise  of  her  magic.     Her 


1  Before  going  on  to  consider  some  of  the  important  incidents  in  Car.,  I  should 
like  to  suggest  that  the  lines  in  which  the  messenger  tells  Arthur  that  he  ought  to 
know  about  the  enchanted  city,  for  it  was  under  his  sway  (i,  35,  1-4),  may  be  due 
to  the  fact  that  Pucci  was  confused  at  having  Gales  made  the  land  of  the  princess 
whilst  Carduel  was  also  put  in  that  country. 

2  Bethge,  Wirnt  von  Gravenberg,  Berlin,  1 881,  p.  36,  gives  an  odd  reason  for 
the  omission,  by  Wirnt,  of  the  fee  episode  :  "  Es  bewog  ihn  dazu  auch  wol  die 
absicht  seinen  helden  nirgend  in  schlechtem  licht  erscheinen  zu  lassen :  dass 
Guinglain  bei  dem  zweimaligen  verlassen  der  dame  die  er  doch  liebt  and  die  ihm 
ihre  voile  liebe  geschenkt  hat  nicht  gerade  als  ein  edler  charakter  erscheint  ist 
klar."     Golther,  Gesch.  der  dentschen  Ltd.,  1893,  ^>  '7°>  repeats  this  idea. 


198  U\  //.   Sc/iojic/d. 

retention  of  him  must  surely  have  been  for  purposes  of  sensual  enjoy- 
ment. Therefore  the  author  laments  that  LD  was  not  "  chast,"  and 
curses  the  enchantress  for  her  deception  of  the  hero.  LD  stayed 
merely  because  he  was  victimized  by  her  wiles.  "  Sche  blered  his 
ije,"  we  are  told,  with  "  fantasme  and  fairie  "  (see  15 16  ff.).'  There 
was  doubtless  in  the  original  some  account  of  different  deceptions  to 
which  she  subjected  LD  ;  but  these  the  English  author  passed  by, 
making  general  statements,  which,  however,  point  back  to  specific 
enchantments.  When  LD  finally  breaks  away,  it  is  as  if  he  had  got 
happily  out  of  a  bad  scrape.  The  woman  is  not  mentioned  again. 
The  hero  was  fascinated  by  her  wiles,  not  overcome  by  love.-  Be 
it  noted  that  sheis  suitably  called  la  dame  d^  amour. 

AMien  we  come  to  Car.,  we  find  ourselves  really  in  the  domain 
of  folk-lore,  for  we  are  now  introduced  to  a  being  resembling  in 
some  measure  a  Lamia.  She  is  a  charming  and  attractive  "  gientil 
donna,"  who  fascinates  our  hero.  She  has,  however,  no  love  for  him, 
and  her  desires  are  purely  sensual.  She  even  excites  his  passions  by 
telling  him  of  the  "  gran  gioia  e  gran  diletto  "  he  shall  have  with  her, 
and  he  waits  impatiently  for  the  desired  time  to  come.  Any  knight 
would  have  served  her  purpose  as  well.  Indeed,  it  was  the  rule  of 
the  castle  that  every  man  who  came  there  armed  should  lie  with 
her,  if  he  satisfied  one  condition,  which  was  that  he  should  come  to 
her  only  when  she  told  him  not  to  come  and  refuse  to  obey  when  she 
called  him.  That  this  was  too  hard  a  request  to  make  of  most  mor- 
tals is  evident  from  the  fact  that  knight  after  knight,  according  to  the 
dwarfs  statement,  had  been  victimized  by  her  (ii,  19,  7-8).  As  in 
LD,  so  in  Car.,  she  has  no  distinct  personality.  She  is  the  represen- 
tative of  a  type.  In  Car.  also  the  hero  is  glad  to  get  away,  and  no 
mention  is  made  of  her  again. 

It  is  important  to  note  that  in  this  adventure  in  Car.  the  hero  does 
not  in  any  way  act  as  a  deliverer.  He  has  no  fight  to  free  the  young 
lady  from  the  persecutions  of  a  hostile  knight  or  giant.  There  is, 
indeed,  nothing  honorable  for  him  in  the  whole  encounter.  He  is 
only  a  befooled  searcher  after  sensual  pleasure.      This  could  then 


1  Cf.  Paris,  Hist.  Litt.,  XXX,  186. 

2  Cf.  the  visit  of  Filisel  de  Montespin  and  the  lady  messenger  to  the  castle  of 
the  magicienne.     Aviadis  de  Gattle,  Antwerp  ed.,  1572,  bk.  xiii,  chap.  xvi. 


Studies  on  the  Liheaiis  Dcseonus.  199 

hardly  have  been  the  form  in  the  original.  Every  other  adventure 
which  the  young  hero  undertakes  is  calculated  to  show  his  heroism 
and  redound  to  his  honor.  This  is  the  case,  moreover,  with  this 
very  adventure  in  LD,  BI,  and  Feredur,  and  must  surely  have  been 
so  in  Version  A.  It  thus  seems  probable  that  the  author  of  Car. 
reverted  to  some  popular  tale,  such  as  were  common  in  Italy,  and 
changed  his  original  to  suit. 

The  specific  enchantments  which  he  underwent  during  the  night 
need  not  be  dwelt  upon.  In  Car.,  as  he  is  crossing  the  threshold, 
the  lady  roars  loudly  like  the  sea  in  a  tempest.  House  and  walls 
disappear,  and  soon  he  finds  himself  suspended  by  four  giants  on  the 
end  of  a  huge  fork  over  a  great  river,  where  he  remains  until  morn- 
ing with  his  feet  danghng  just  above  the  water.^  In  BI  he  is  twice 
deceived.  His  first  attempt  to  cross  the  threshold  results  in  his 
imagining  himself  on  a  narrow  plank  over  a  tempestuous  stream, 
whereas  he  is  really  hanging  to  the  perch  of  the  sparrow-hawk. 
Again  he  tries ;  and  this  time  he  fancies  the  ceiling  to  be  falling 
upon  him,  but  the  servants,  attracted  by  his  cries,  find  him  with  his 
pillow  over  his  head. 

Similar  enchantments  seem  to  have  been  common  enough  in 
Italian  stories.  Examples  may  be  found  in  the  tricks  which  Filenia 
plays  upon  her  suitors  in  //  Mambriano  of  II  Cieco  da  Ferrara,  and 
many  analogues  have  been  collected  by  Rua  and  Prato.^ 

DISENCHANTMENT   BY   MEANS   OF   A   KISS. 

The  idea  of  the  fier  baiser  is  one  of  the  most  widely  spread  in  the 
domain  of  folk-lore,  and  in  some  places  is  in  full  force  to  the  present 
day.  It  occupies  such  an  important  position  in  our  stories  that  we 
must  enter  to  some  extent  into  an  examination  of  the  subject.  For 
instances  of  disenchantment  by  this  means  see  the  following  places :' 


iCf.  Paris,  Rom.,XY,  16. 

2  To  these  Professor  Kittredge  has  kindly  called  my  attention.  See  Rua, 
NovelU  del  Mambriano  esposte  ed  illustrate,  Turin,  1 888,  pp.  85  f. ;  and  Prato, 
Zt.fiir  Volkskitnde,  I,  112-3. 

^  The  majority  of  these  are  collected  by  Professor  Child  {Ballads,  Pt.  II,  306-8; 
IV,  502  ff. ;  VI,  504).  Others  were  communicated  to  Mennung  (p.  20)  by  Rein- 
hold  Kohler. 


200  JV.  H.  Schoficld. 

(i)  Ulrich  von  Zatzikhovcn's  Lanzekt,  7836  fT.,  translated  from  the 
French  before  1194  and  "sans  doute  scnsiblement  plus  ancien.'" 
(2)  Legend  of  the  daughter  of  Hippocrates  in  Maundeville.^  (3) 
An  account  of  the  liberation  of  the  daughter  of  Hippocrates  by 
Espertius  in  Tiran  le  Blanc,  written  about  1400.^  (4)  Historia  del 
principe  Sferamundi  in  the  13th  book  of  Ainadis  of  Gaul}  (5) 
The  English  ballad  of  Kemp  Owyne,  preserved  in  a  number  of  \  er- 
sions.*  (6)  The  Laidly  Worm  of  Spindles  ton  Heughs^  (7)  Hjdlm- 
ters  ok  Olvers  Saga,  caps.  10,  22.'  (8)  The  Danish  hdWsid  Jo mfruen 
i  Ormehatn?  (9)  Angelo  de  Tummulillis,  Notabilia  Temporum? 
(10)  Bojardo,  Orl.  Lmamorato,  ii,  26,  7  ff.  (11)  Mone,  Anzeiger f. 
Kunde  des  deutschen  Mittelalters,  HI,  89.^*^  (12)  Miillenhoiif,  Sagen, 
Mdrchen  ti.  Lieder  der  Herzogthilmer  Schleswig-Holstein  u.  Lauen- 


^  Paris,  Rom.,  XX,  301 ;   cf.  Golther,  Gesch.  der  deutschen  Litt.,  II,  168-9,  225. 

2  Ed.  Warner,  Roxburghe  Club,  1889,  p.  12;  pp.  23  ff.  of  Halliwell's  ed.,  1839. 
Clouston,  Orig.  and  Analogues  of  some  of  the  Catit.  Tales,  pp.  518  ff.,  tries  to 
connect  this  with  the  Wife  of  Bath's  Tale,  and  in  this  he  is  followed  by  Professor 
Skeat,  IVorks  of  Chaucer,  III,  449,  but  the  Wife's  Tale  belongs  to  a  different 
cycle.  Andre  Dacier  gives  a  delicious  bit  of  interpretation  by  way  of  explaining 
the  legend  of  the  daughter  of  Hippocrates  as  a  medical  allegory  {Vie  d^  Hippo- 
crate'),  prefixed  to  his  translation  of  the  CEuvres  d'Hipp.,  Paris,  1697,  I>  '^^'J  ^' 
The  legend  is  repeated  in  Faber's  Evagatorium,  ed.  Hassler,  III,  267.  See 
also  Sathas,  La  Trad,  hellenique  et  la  Leg.  de  Phidias,  etc.  [1882],  pp.  13  ff.; 
Paris,  Liist.  Litl.,  XXX,  191. 

3  Ed.  Caylus,  II,  334-9.  Dunlop  (ed.  Wilson,  I,  406)  notes  "  a  like  story  in 
the  6th  tale  of  the  Contes  Amoureux  de  "Jean  Flore,''  written  towards  the  end  of 
the  15th  century. 

*  Pt.  II,  c.  97,  pp.  458-62,  Venice,  1610.     See  Child,  Ballads,  Pt.  II,  308-9. 

5  Child,  Pt.  11,306  ff.;   IV,  502  ff.;  VI,  504;   IX,  213. 

6  Child,  Pt.  II,  311-13.  This,  though  the  composition  of  a  Mr.  Lamb,  is,  in 
Professor  Child's  words,  "  not  only  based  on  popular  tradition,  but  preserves  some 
small  fragments  of  a  popular  ballad."  It  is  closely  related  to  Kemp  Ozvyne. 
Another  version  of  The  Laidly  Worm  is  The  Hagg  Worm  (Child,  Pt.  IV,  503  ff.). 

■^  Rafn,  Fornaldar  Sogur,  III,  473  ff.,  514  ff.     See  Child,  Pt.  II,  307. 

8  Grundtvig,  D.  G.  F.,  No.  59,  II,  177.  For  further  references  as  to  similar 
Danish  stories,  see  Child,  Pt.  II,  307;   VI,  504;  VIII,  454. 

"^  Ed.  Corvisieri,  Rome,  1890,  pp.  124-6;  see  the  review  in  Giornale  Storico, 
XVII,  161  f.  Angelo  tells  of  the  adventure  as  an  historical  fact  occurring  in  Cesena 
in  1464.     Professor  Kittredge  kindly  called  my  attention  to  this  version. 

^'''  Also  in  Desaivre,  L.e  My  the  de  la  Mere  L.usine,  1S83,  p.  202  (see  review  in 
Melusine,  II,  22) .     Cf.  Schonhuth,  Die  Burgen  u.  s.  w.  Badens  «.  der  Pjah,  T,  105. 


Studies  on  the  Libcaus  Dcscoiius.  201 

burg,  Kiel,  1845,  No.  597,  p.  580.  (13)  Panzer,  Bayerische  Sagen 
u.  Braiiche,  Munich,  1848,  No.  214,  I,  196.  (14)  Vernaleken, 
Alpensagen,  Vienna,  1858,  No.  100,  p.  123.  (15)  Menghin,  Aus 
dem  deiitschen  Sildtirol,  Meran,  1884,  p.  8.  (16)  Stober,  Die  Sagen 
des  Elsasses,  St.  Gallen,  1852,  No.  190,  p.  248.  (17)  Somraer,  Sagen, 
Mdrchen  u.  Gebrauche  aus  Sachsen  u.  Thiiringen,  Halle,  1846,  No. 
16,  p.  21,  etc.  (iS)  Curtze,  Volksiiberlieferungen  aus  dem  Filrsten- 
thum  Waldeck,  Arolsen,  i860,  p.  198.  (19)  Id.,  p.  201.  (20) 
Walliser  Sagen  gesammelt  u.  erzahlt  v.  Sagenfreunden,  Sitten,  1872, 
p.  150.  (21)  Grimms,  Deutsche  Sagen,  Berlin,  1816,  No.  222,  I, 
304;^  cf.  p.  17.  (22)  Lenggenhager,  Volkssagen  aus  dem  Kantoti 
Baselland,  Basel,  1874,  p.  91.^  (23)  Kreutzwald,  Ehst7iische  M'dr- 
chen,  tr.  by  F.  Lowe,  Halle,  1869,  No.  19,  pp.  268  ff.  (24)  Wucke, 
Sagen  der  mittleren  Werra,  Salzungen,  1864,  I,  i.^  (25)  J.  W. 
Wolf,  Hessische  Sagen,  Leipzig,  1853,  No.  46,  p.  33.  (26)  H.  von 
Pfister,  Sagen  u.  Aberglaube  aus  Hessen  u.  Nassau,  Marburg,  1885, 
P-  75'  (27)  Sagen  vom  Thurmbergbei  Durlach,  Mone's  Anzeige?;  VH 
C1838),  476.  (28)  Schonhuth,  Die  Bmgen  u.  s.  w.  Badens  u.  der 
Pfalz,  I,  107.  (29)  Traditions  et  Legendes  de  la  Suisse  Romande, 
Lausanne,  1872,  pp.  103-5.  (3°)  Decurtins,  Mdrchen  aus  dem 
Biindfier  Oberlande,  in  Jecklin,  Volksthihnliches  aus  Graubi'tnden, 
Zurich,  1874,  p.  126.  (31)  A  Breton  tale  in  Rev.  des  Trad.  Popu- 
laires,  HI,  475.  (32)  Another,  contributed  by  Luzel  to  the  Annu- 
aire  des  Trad.  Pop.,  H,  53  ff.  (33)  Kuhn,  Westfdlische  Sagen, 
Leipzig,  1859,  No.  276,  p.  242.^  (34)  Schambach  u.  lAvi\[tx,  Nieder- 
sdchsische  Sagen,  Gottingen,  1855,  No.  132  (cf.  Nos.  124-31). 

A  comparison  of  all  these  tales  with  one  another  and  with  Car.,  LD, 
and  BI,  yields  the  following  results  : 

I.  TJie  Person  transfonned,  when  her  station  is  mentioned,  is 
always  of  noble  birth  and  beautiful.     It  is  often  said  that  she  is  the 


1  Also  in  Stober,  Sagen  des  Elsasses,  p.  346. 

2  Also  in  Dobeneck,  Des  deutschen  Mittelalters  Volksglauhen,  Berlin,  181 5, 1, 18; 
and  in  Grimms,  D.  S.,  No.  13,  who  get  it  from  Praetorius,  Welibeschreibufrg,  1666, 
I,  661  ff.     Praetorius  dates  it  1520  and  insists  upon  its  truth. 

3  Cf.  Witzschel,  Sagen,  Sitten  u.  Gebrauche  aus  Thiiringen,  ed.  Schmidt,  Pt.  II, 
Vienna,  1878,  No.  71. 

*  Cf.  Nos.  12,  379,  383,  392,  in  the  same  collection  (with  the  references  given 
by  Kuhn). 


202  U:  II.   Schofiehl 

daughter  of  a  king,  and  frequently  the  only  heir.  She  always  has 
great  treasures  in  her  possession.  We  Hnd  the  story  definitely 
attached  in  some  cases  to  the  daughter  of  Hippocrates  (2,  3,  4),  but 
even  then  the  reward  of  success  in  loosing  the  spell,  is  joint  rule 
with  tiie  maiden  of  the  isle  she  inhabits.  —  This  accords  well  with  the 
account  in  Car.,  LD,  and  BI,  in  which  we  have  the  woman  in  serpent 
form,  the  daughter  of  a  king,  the  heir  of  his  lands,  of  exceeding 
beauty. 

2.  The  Cause  of  the  Transformation  is  usually  not  told.  In  some 
cases  it  is  a  retribution  for  sin.  In  21,  it  is  because  of  the  young 
lady's  former  pride.  In  1 6,  it  is  because  of  her  vanity  and  avarice 
when  alive,  for  here,  as  in  29,  the  punishment  is  one  inflicted  after 
death.  In  some  (e.g.,  20)  the  curse  seems  to  have  been  given  by  her 
father,  that  she  might  guard  certain  treasures.  In  others  it  is  pure 
malice.  A  stepmother  is  envious  of  her  stepdaughter's  beauty  in  the 
English  ballads  (5,  6).  Diana  is  angry  with  the  daughter  of  Hippoc- 
rates (2).  In  32  we  have  a  definite  magician  who  has  carried  the 
princess  off  from  the  kingdom  of  her  father  and  kept  her  transformed 
mth  hini.-j-In  Car.,  LD,  and  BI,  the  princess  is  thus  kept  trans- 
formed by  a  magician,  and  here  because  she  has  refused  to  accede  to 
his  wishes.  There  is  no  case  of  two  magicians  or  two  persons 
causing  the  spell  except  in  LD  and  BI,  and  there  this  number  is 
probably  due  to  a  misunderstanding  on  the  part  of  the  author  of 
their  original  (see  pp.  126,  164). 

3.  The  Animal  into  which  the  woman  is  transformed  is  always  of 
some  hideous  or  fierce  sort.  If  there  is  but  one  form,  it  is  oftenest 
a  serpent.  The  other  single  forms  are  toad,  dragon,  bear,  black 
wolf,  etc.  In  the  early  forms,  the  maiden  usually  takes  but  one 
shape ;  but  in  the  later  usually  three,  a  kiss  (or  three  kisses)  being 
required  to  be  given  in  each  form.  In  1 2,  we  have  frog,  wolf,  snake ; 
in  13,  maiden,  snake,  toad;  in  20,  toad,  snake,  lion;  in  21,  snake, 
toad,  maid;  in  24,  snake,  beast  of  prey,  dragon;  in  25,  snake,  bear; 
in  26,  frog,  snake,  dragon ;  in  32,  serpent,  salamander,  toad ;  in  33, 
maiden,  bear,  ox.  In  some  cases  (as  in  31,  the  toad)  the  same 
animal  grows  bigger  and  bigger  until  the  third  kiss  is  given.  In  11, 
we  have  first  a  woman  without  fingers  and  with  a  dragon's  tail,  then 
the  same  with  bat's  wings,  finally  with  toad's  head  as  well.  In  30,  it 
works  the  other  way  :  on  the  first  kiss  the  head  is  made  natural,  and 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus.  203 

on  the  second,  the  body ;  the  third  completes  the  retransformation. 
Usually,  however,  the  third  form  is  the  hardest  and  the  one  before 
which  the  rescuer  quails,  although  he  has  been  brave  up  to  that  time. 
In  13,  the  final  test  is  made  more  severe  by  representing  the  devil 
as  constantly  snapping  with  shears  at  the  cord  from  which  is  suspended 
a  millstone  over  the  head  of  the  toad  which  is  to  be  kissed. 

In  Car.,  LD,  and  BI,  there  is  but  one  animal,  a  serpent  (a  guivre  in 
BI).  In  LD  and  BI,  it  is  said  to  be  wondrously  glittering,  shedding 
light  in  the  place.  This  feature  is  also  in  29.  In  BI  it  spews  fire 
from  its  mouth,  as  in  13,  24,  27.  In  LD,  it  has  a  woman's  face,  and 
in  BI  a  beautiful  mouth.  This  reminds  us  of  the  M^lusine  stories, 
which  are  much  mixed  up  with  those  we  are  discussing  (see  11,  22). 
In  them,  the  upper  part  of  the  body  of  the  princess  is  beautiful,  the 
lower  part  of  serpent  form.  Almost  invariably  the  princess,  even 
when  transformed,  is  able  to  talk  as  a  human  being,  and  converses 
with  the  hero.  In  our  poems  this  feature  occurs  only  in  Car.  In 
LD  and  BI,  she  says  nothing  while  in  serpent  form.  Often  she  can 
take  human  form,  part  of  the  time,  by  day,  or  on  certain  days,  or  at 
certain  hours  (28,  29,  30,  etc.).  Not  so  in  Car.,  LD,  or  BI ;  but 
compare  the  father  in  Wig.  Usually  in  the  tales  she  urges  her  rescuer 
to  be  brave  (this  only  in  Car.). 

She  is  frequently  a  "white  maiden"  (13,  18,  19,  23,  25,  26,  27). 
In  Or'L  Inn.  (10)  she  is  dressed  in  white  when  released  from  the 
spell.  In  Car.  also  all  the  women  are  transformed  into  "  bestie 
bianche  cosi  belle  "  (ii,  45,  7).  In  several  cases  she  is  provided  with 
a  bunch  of  keys  (12,  13, 18, 19,  27).  This  seems  to  have  connection 
with  the  fact  that  in  these  forms  (as  in  most)  she  controls  a  hidden 
treasure.  In  15  she  has  a  single  golden  key  which  she  would  lay  on 
her  rescuer's  tongue,  and  which  would  open  the  door  to  her  treasure. 
In  16  one  of  the  conditions  is  that  he  take  the  golden  key  from  her 
tongue.  In  25  this  last  feature  also  appears.  It  is  possible  that  we 
have  here  the  reason  for  the  words  in  the  English  ballad  (6)  : 

She  has  knotted  the  keys  upon  a  string, 
And  with  her  she  has  them  taen.     (St.  2.) 

Rarely  do  these  hideous  creatures  seem  to  be  in  any  way  harmful. 
In  6,  however,  the  venomous  serpent  is  the  plague  of  the  country 
and  has  to  be  fed  with  vast  quantities  of  food,  and  it  is  said  of  Wcisse 


204  JJ-  tl.   ScJwficld. 

Frauen  that,  although  when  let  alone  they  are  quite  harmless,  when 
angered  by  remarks  of  passers-by  they  often  draw  very  close  to  the 
latter,  breathe  upon  them,  and  cause  them  sickness  or  death. 

4.  The  Place  of  Abode,  when  mentioned  definitely,  is  generally  a 
cave  (e.g.,  2,  6,  10)  or  underground  dwelling  (22).  In  many  cases 
it  is  at  or  hard  by  a  ruined  castle  (11,  14,  16,  18,  25).  Sometimes 
the  enchanted  women  are  met  in  a  forest  (9,  11,  12).  —  In  Car.,  LD, 
and  BI  the  serpent  dwells  in  an  enchanted  city.  In  Car.  the  inhabi- 
tants also  are  transformed  into  different  kinds  of  animals,  and  the  city 
is  in  ruins.  In  BI  we  are  told  that  the  magicians  came  one  day, 
enchanted  the  five  thousand  inhabitants,  and  destroyed  the  city  by 
their  terrible  enchantments.  In  Car.  the  dwarf  points  out  to  the 
hero  the  ruins  and  tells  how  a  noble  castle  has  been  reduced  to  this 
form  "perllo  incantesmo."  He  directs  his  attention  also  to  the  trans- 
formed inhabitants  who  he  says  "  mostreranti  tutte  i'  lor  dolore," 
and  who  appear  to  see  the  hero  gladly.  In  LD  the  serpent  comes 
out  of  a  window  in  a  stone  wall,  in  BI  out  of  an  aumaire.  These 
seem  vestiges  of  the  cave  idea.  In  Car.  there  is  no  hint  of  this.  As 
in  many  other  stories,  she  seems  free  to  wander  about  the  castle. 

5.  The  Rescuer  in  all  the  early  forms  has  to  be  a  knight  or  king's 
son.  In  Maundeville,  indeed,  it  is  told  how  a  man  is  sent  back  to 
his  ship  to  be  made  a  knight  so  that  he  can  make  the  attempt.  In 
the  later  forms,  however,  the  situation  is  completely  changed.  The 
rescuer  is  invariably  of  lowly  station,  induced  to  undertake  the  dis- 
gusting and  perilous  task  by  the  desire  of  gaining  treasure,  not  of 
gaining  honor.  He  is,  for  example,  a  bailiff's  son  (n),  schoolmaster 
(12),  keeper  of  a  vineyard  (15),  glazier  (16),  herdsman  (17),  shep- 
herd (18,  24),  tailor's  son  and  simpleton  (22),  peasant  (25),  villager 
(29),  orphan  beggar  (31),  servant  (32),  —  in  one  case  even  the 
daughter  of  a  herdsman  (28),  in  another,  a  servant-girl  (34). 

In  many  cases  the  rescuer  has  to  be  specially  destined  for  the  task, 
most  frequently  one  who  has  been  rocked  in  a  cradle  made  out  of  a 
certain  tree  ^  (24,  25,  27,  28,  33;  cf.  30).  In  the  English  ballads 
none  but  Owein,  a  definite  knight,  can  do  the  deed.  This  shows  us 
how  essential  is  the  feature  emphasized  in  LD  (2 131  ff.,  cf.  1736) 


^  On  this  requirement  cf.  further  Kuhn,  Westfalische  Sagen,  p.  243,  No.  276, 
and  note;   Wolf,  Hessische  Sagen,  No.  49,  etc. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Descojms.  205 

that  only  Gawein  orone  of  his  kin  can  succeed.  In  BI  the  knight 
has  only  to  be  one  of  the  best  at  Arthur's  court :  nothing  special  in 
Car.  as  fo  this.  Other  requirements  in  the  stories  are  that  he  should 
be  of  a  definite  age,  twenty  (in  31),  eighteen  (in  28).  More  impor- 
tant, however,  is  the  fact  that  in  several  cases  it  is  essential  that  he  be 
pure  in  body  and  never  have  sinned  with  woman. ^  This  fits  admir- 
ably with  the  hero  in  Car.,  LD,  and  BI.  Indeed,  it  may  have  been 
one  element  in  causing  the  combination  of  the  fier  baiser  with  the 
Perc.  story.  Our  hero  is  brought  up  alone  in  the  woods,  entirely 
ignorant  of  the  existence  of  other  human  beings  except  his  mother. 
The  innocent  youth  goes  to  court,  but  starts  off  immediately  from 
there.  On  his  way,  in  Car.  and  BI,  he  nearly  gives  way  to  the 
temptations  of  the  enchantress ;  but  her  sorcery  preserves  his  purity 
for  the  nonce.  If  this  suggestion  be  sound,  a  new  significance  is 
added  to  these  enchantments.  The  author  of  LD  does  not  seem 
to  have  understood  this  feature,  for,  in  his  vague,  general  remarks, 
he  laments  the  fact  that  LD  was  not  "chast,"-  although  nothing 
definite  is  told  of  the  youth's  amour. 

6.  Conditions  of  Change.  In  the  early  forms  and  some  of  the  later 
(1-4,  7-9,  16,  17,  29),  only  one  kiss  seems  to  have  been  necessary, 
as  in  Car.,  LD,  and  BI.  Very  often,  however,  three  is  the  required 
number  (5,  11-14,  20-27,  30-32),  usually  given  on  three  separate 
days.  In  11,  we  have  three  kisses  on  each  of  three  successive  occa- 
sions (cf,  32).  Frequently  they  must  be  given  on  certain  days  or  at 
certain  times  of  the  day:  in  11,  at  nine  in  the  morning;  in  12, 
between  twelve  and  one  at  night;  in  26,  27,  between  eleven  and 
twelve  in  the  morning  ;  in  15,  precisely  at  midnight ;  in  25,  at  noon ; 
in  21,  on  three  consecutive  Friday  mornings;  in  24,  on  three 
Johannistage.  In  20  the  princess  appears  only  every  tenth  year  on 
Easter  morning;  in  23,  once  in  twenty-five  years;  in  18,  once  in 
a  hundred  years.     The  kiss  is  almost  invariably  on  the  mouth  (not 


^  Cf.  J.  W.  Wolf,  Beitr.  zur  deutschen  Mythologie,  II,  245. 

2  Could  it  be  that  the  "  traie  and  tene"  which  the  Enghsh  author  makes  LD 
suffer  because  of  his  lack  of  chastity  indicates  some  penance  the  hero  had  to 
undergo  for  this  sin  before  he  could  free  the  enchanted  princess?  We  may  note 
that  in  some  forms  of  the  story,  when  the  rescuer  departs  from  the  conditions 
imposed,  he  is  finally  able  to  redeem  himself,  but  only  after  undergoing  great 
hardship  (cf.  30,  31). 


Jo6  //'.  II.  Schofidd. 

so  in  4,  II,  24).  In  most  cases  the  freeing  of  the  maiden  by  kissing 
is  entirely  at  the  will  of  the  rescuer.  If  he  refrains  from  giving  the 
kiss,  —  if,  indeed,  in  some  cases  he  even  shudders  or  shows  his 
repugnance,  —  the  opportunity  is  lost.  If  there  are  three  kisses,  all 
three  have  to  be  given.  Two  are  of  no  avail,  and  often  bring  down 
evil  on  the  head  of  the  rescuer  and  the  serpent  as  well.  In  29,  the 
serpent  lifts  its  head  up  even  with  the  man's  mouth,  and  waits  for  the 
kiss ;  but  he  lacks  courage,  and  the  maiden  is  not  retransformed. 

Car.  agrees  with  the  great  majority  in  requiring  the  kiss  to  be 
given  by  the  rescuer,  while  LD  and  BI  differ.  In  LD,  the  serpent 
comes  towards  him  and  he  is  kissed  "  er  he  it  wiste."  In  BI,  as  it 
approaches,  it  fascinates  him  by  its  look,  then  it  darts  to  him  and 
kisses  him.  In  both  he  is  thus  an  involuntary  instrument  in  the  mat- 
ter. There  is  support  for  the  giving  of  the  kiss  by  the  dragon  in  LD 
and  BI,  in  the  story  of  Espertius,  and  that  told  by  Kreutzwald  (23), 
which,  by  the  way,  presen'es  many  features  agreeing  with  our  group 
of  poems.  The  kissing  by  the  hero  certainly  puts  the  latter's  bravery 
in  a  much  clearer  light,  and  is  in  itself  more  natural,  besides  being 
the  account  given  in  the  great  majority  of  the  stories.  It  would  thus 
appear  that  in  this  point  Car.  represents  a  more  primitive  form  of 
the  story  than  LD  and  BI.  In  LD  we  have  here  also  a  feature  which 
appears  to  have  been  original :  viz.,  the  snake's  coiling  about  the 
hero's  neck  (2 11 2).  This  is  found  in  the  story  just  referred  to  (23) 
and  in  13  and  15. 

Car.  and  BI  agree  in  making  the  hero  draw  his  sword  to  defend 
himself.  This  occurs  in  two  old  versions,  6  and  10,  which  see.  In 
both  of  these,  moreover,  he  is  told  to  put  it  up  :  the  serpent  will  do 
him  no  harm.  In  Car.  and  BI,  the  animal  shows  this  by  its  humble 
bows.  In  15,  the  man  uses  his  sword  and  the  maiden  is  not  freed. 
There  is  no  case  in  which  the  rescuer  does  not  dread  the  approach  of 
the  hideous  beast.  In  Car.  and  Orl.  Inn.  he,  moreover,  expresses 
his  fear. 

7.  The  Breaking  of  the  Spell,  which  brings  about  the  lady's  return 
to  human  form,  is  in  most  cases  immediate  (1-5,  8-10,  31,  32,  etc.). 
Car.  and  LD  agree  in  this  primitive  feature.  In  BI,  however,  she 
first  withdraws  as  a  serpent  to  her  aumaire.  The  English  ballad  (5) 
has  both  forms,  immediate  and  delayed  change  (cf  also  7).  In  23, 
again,  we  have  the  rescuer,  as  in  BI,  going  to  sleep,  and  awaking  to 


Studies  on  the  Libcatis  Desconus.  207 

find  a  beautiful  lady  beside  him.  In  LD,  much  is  made  of  the  fact 
that  after  the  change  she  is  entirely  naked ;  this  feature  is  the  same  in 
6.  In  Lanzelef,  she  has  first  to  bathe  in  a  stream,  and  then  the 
change  at  once  takes  place  (cf.  20,  21).  This  feature  is  well  founded 
in  popular  belief.'  In  Car.  there  is  a  great  tumult  when  the  spell  is 
broken  ;  this  is  an  additional  feature  in  which  23  agrees. 

We  may  note  here  that  lack  of  courage  in  the  would-be  rescuer  is 
sometimes  followed  by  evil  effects.  In  2,  the  two  sailors  who  fail 
meet  their  death.  In  10,  if  Brandimarte  had  not  put  back  his  sword, 
he  would  have  died.  In  20,  the  men  are  cursed  to  the  ninth  genera- 
tion. In  24,  the  unsuccessful  man  soon  dies,  and  in%29  he  soon 
disappears  after  his  failure.  In  11,  he  is  poisoned  when  he  under- 
takes to  wed.  With  these  may  be  compared  the  words  of  the  princess 
in  Car.,  who,  when  freed,  tells  the  hero,  "Tu  sarai  I'amor  mio  fino  " 
(ii,  65,  8).  Indeed,  it  seems  as  if  in  some  cases  the  undertaking 
of  the  task  were  a  pledge  to  marry  the  maiden  when  she  is  trans- 
formed. The  breaking  of  promises  to  preternatural  beings  often 
meets  with  dire  results.-  After  one  unsuccessful  attempt,  the  entrance 
to  the  cave  or  castle  becomes  invisible  in  6  (note),  22,  26. 

8.  The  Result,  when  the  spell  is  broken,  is  that  the  rescuer  is  gener- 
ally offered  the  hand  and  treasures  of  the  princess,  who  expresses  her 
gratitude  to  him.  When  her  father  is  a  king,  the  young  man  later 
becomes  the  ruler  of  her  land,  and  they  have  descendants  (cf.  30, 
31).  In  I,  Lanzelet  takes  the  king's  daughter  to  Arthur's  court. — 
Car,,  LD,  and  BI  agree  in  making  the  princess  express  her  gratitude 
to  her  deliverer  and  offer  him  her  hand  and  kingdom.  They  both  go 
to  Arthur's  court,  marry,  and  rule  over  the  wife's  land. 

In  Car.  the  people  resume  their  natural  shapes  and  the  city  is 
restored.  This  reminds  us  of  the  story  told  by  Toeppen^  of  a  hand- 
some prince  transformed  into  a  hideous  animal  and  immediately 
changed  back  when  voluntarily  kissed  by  a  beautiful  maiden,  "und 


^  Child,  Ballads,  Pt.  II,  338  {Tarn  Liii),  where  other  references  are  noted 
(cf.  IV,  505;   VI,  505). 

2  Cf.  Child,  Ballads,  Pt.  II,  372. 

^  Aberglanben  aus  Masuren,  Danzig,  1867,  pp.  144-5.  Professor  Child  cites 
this  feature  from  other  forms  of  Beauty  and  the  Beast ;  Mikulicic,  Narodiie  Pripo- 
vietke,  p.  I,  No.  i;  Afanasief,  VII,  153,  No.  15;  Coelho,  Contos  populares  portU' 
guezes,  p.  69,  No.  29. 


208  ir.  U.   Schofield. 

im  Schlosse  Icbte  Alles  wieder  auf,  was  bis  dahin  sich  nicht  geregt 
hatte,  die  Eltern  und  Geschwister  des  Prinzen  und  alles  Gesinde. 
Der  Prinz  umarmte  das  Madchen  und  erzahlte  ihr,  dass  er  ver- 
wiinscht  gewesen  sei,  und  nur  ein  Kuss  eines  reinen  unschuldigen 
Miidchens  bei  einer  abschreckenden  Gestalt  hatte  ihn  erlosen  kon- 
nen."     They  are,  of  course,  married  and  live  happily. 


WIGALOIS. 

The  relation  of  Wigalois  to  the  poems  which  we  have  already 
examined  is  not  easy  to  determine.  The  first  one  to  discuss  at  any 
length  the  relation  of  the  German  poem  to  its  original  was  Meisner." 
In  his  opinion,  Wirnt  had  before  him  "  eine  franzosische  schriftliche 
aufzeichnung  des  Wigalois  "  (p.  23),  which  he  had  translated  aloud 
to  him  by  a  squire,  inasmuch  as  he  himself  was  not  familiar  with 
French.  Kolbing-  agreed  entirely  with  Meisner  in  this  view.  He, 
however,  made  a  much  more  thorough  examination  of  the  question, 
and  concluded  that  as  LD,  BI,  and  Wig.  were  unlike  in  so  many 
points,  Wig.  at  one  time  agreeing  with  LD,  at  another  with  BI,  and 
as  both  Wirnt  and  the  author  of  LD  appeared  to  follow  their  sources 
with  little  change,  there  must  therefore  have  been  three  French  poems 
dealing  with  the  same  subject,  all  of  which  were,  however,  based 
directly  or  indirectly  on  one  common  primitive  form. 

Mebes^  was  the  next  to  take  up  the  question.  Unfortunately  he 
does  not  appear  to  have  seen  Kolbing's  important  article,  and  did 
not  let  LD  influence  his  judgment  in  the  matter.  Indeed,  he  dis- 
misses the  English  poem  from  his  consideration  with  these  words 
(p.  4)  :  "  Eine  eingehende  Vergleichung  dieser  Redaction  mit  dem 


1  Wirnt  von  Gravenberg,  Beitr.  zur  Beiirtheilting  seiner  literarhistorischen 
Bedetttung,  Breslau,  1874,  pp.  19-25. 

2  Engl.  Studien,  I,  166  ff.  See  for  other  matters,  the  dissertations  of  Pud- 
menzky,  Ueber  Wirnts  Ausdrucksweise,  Halle,  1875;  Eckert,  Wirnt  v.  Grav.  u. 
sein  Sprackgebrauch,  Stettin,  1875;   Medem,  Ueber  das  Abhangigkeitsverh'dUniss 

Wirnfs  von  Grav.  von  Hartmann  von  Aue  und  Wolfram  v.  Eschenbach,  Dan- 
zig, 1 880;   etc. 

'  Ueber  den  Wigalois  von  Wirnt  von  Gravenberg  und  seine  altfranz.  Quelle, 
Neumunster,  1879;  cf.  Kolbing,  Engl.  Studien,  IV,  182;  Foth,  Litbl.  f.  germ.  u. 
rom.  Phil,  1880,  col.  1 14. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconus.  209 

Bel  Inconnu  von  Renaud  de  Beaujeu  zeigt  unzweideutig,  dass  sie 
nach  Renaud  de  Beaujeu  gearbeitet  ist,  jedoch  nach  einer  andern  als 
der  von  Hippeau  veroffentlichten  Handschrift."  He  sums  up  the 
results  of  his  investigation  in  the  following  statement  (p.  20)  :  "  Der 
Wigalois  von  Wirnt  von  Gravenberg  ist  nach  dem  Bel  Inconnu  von 
Renaud  de  Beaujeu  gedichtet.  Wirnt  hat  fur  den  einen  Theil  seiner 
Dichtung  ein  Bruchstuck  einer  Handschrift  des  Bel  Inconnu  beses- 
sen,  wahrend  er  den  andern  Theil  seiner  Dichtung  nach  der  miind- 
lichen  Erzahlung  eines  Knappen,  der  sich  des  Inhaltes  des  Bel 
Inconnu  nur  dunkel  erinnert  verfasst  hat." 

In  recent  years  scholars  who  have  dealt  with  this  subject  have 
usually  accepted  Mebes's  view.  Paris,^  Mennung/  and  Kaluza  ^  all 
agree  that,  for  the  part  of  Wig.  which  clearly  belongs  to  the  Desc. 
cycle,  Wirnt  had  a  fragment  of  a  manuscript  of  Renaud's  poem 
before  him,  and  that  for  the  rest  of  his  narrative  he  relied  on  the 
story  of  the  squire. 

It  is  necessary  to  observe,  in  the  first  place,  that,  despite  the 
confident  statements  of  Mebes,  Bethge,  Kaluza,  and  others  to  the 
contrary,  there  can  be  now  no  doubt  that  LD  is  not  based  on  BI. 
It  is  important  for  our  argument  to  have  this  point  settled  in 
advance. 

In  exact  terms  Mebes's  theory  is  that  for  vv.  15 18-3285  (43,  14- 
87,  21)  of  Wig.  Wirnt  had  a  fragmentary  manuscript  of  BI  (con- 
taining BI,  1-315,  2471-2726,  687-1850)  before  him,  but  that  for 
vv.  3286-1 1 708  {end^  he  depended  on  the  oral  narrative  of  a  squire. 
(The  introduction  in  Wig.,  i.e.,  vv.  1-1517,  Mebes  leaves  out  of 
account.)*  Wirnt  resorted  to  the  squire,  Mebes  thinks,  to  supply  the 
lacunae  of  the  manuscript,  and  the  squire  (to  whom  the  imperfect 
manuscript  had  probably  belonged,  and  who  had  himself  merely 


1  Rom.,  XV,  21,  note  4;  cf.  Rom.,  XX,  300.  Paris  speaks  elsewhere  (Za  Litt. 
fran^.  au  Moyen  Age,  2d  ed.,  1890,  §  58)  of  Wig.  as  an  "imitation  allemande  " 
of  Renaud's  poem. 

*  Der  Bel  Inconnu,  pp.  58  ff. 

*  In  Litbl.  f.  germ.  u.  rom.  Phil.,  1891,  coll.  84  ft. 

*  According  to  the  concluding  paragraph  of  his  essay  (p.  20),  though  in  an- 
other place  (p.  4)  he  mentions  vv.  1-1517  as  a  part  of  the  poem  that  seems  to 
have  Ijecn  composed,  like  vv.  3286-1 1708,  "nach  der  mundlichen  Erzahlung  des 
Knappen." 


jio  11 '.  II.   ScJwficld. 

lieard  the  rest  of  the  story  of  BI  by  word  of  mouth)  remembered 
astonishingly  little  of  what  Wirnt  desired  to  know.  Mebes  is  not 
always  quite  clear,  but  he  seems  to  suppose  that  this  supplementary 
narrative  of  the  squire's  was  not  very  long  or  very  full,  and  conse- 
quently to  ascribe  the  abundance  of  details  (foreign  to  all  other 
versions  of  the  story)  which  vv.  3286-1 1708  (by  far  the  larger  part 
of  ^Vig.)  contain,  to  Wirnt's  own  attempt  to  fill  up  holes  in  the 
squire's  tale. 

The  portion  of  Wig.  which,  according  to  Mebes,  was  derived  from 
the  fragmentary  manuscript  of  BI,  contains  the  following  adventures  : 
At  the  Court  (II ;  p.  6,  above)  ;  ^  Adventure  at  the  Ford  (III ;  p.  12, 
above);  Adventure  with  the  Giants  (V;  p.  18,  above);  Dispute 
about  the  Dog  (VII ;  p.  32,  above)  ;  Sparrow-hawk  Adventure  (VI ; 
p,  25,  above).  The  supplementary  oral  narrative  then  furnished  what 
remnants  Wig.  102,21-106,30  shows  of  the  Adventure  with  Lampart 
(IX;  p.  42,  above)^  and  what  is  left  of  the  Rescue  of  the  Enchanted 
Lady  (X;  p.  47,  above).  The  squire,  however,  remembered  "  nur 
in  den  allgemeinsten  Ziigen  "  what  he  had  heard.  He  knew  nothing 
of  either  the  first  or  the  second  visit  to  the  He  d'Or,^  and  hence 
Wig.  has  no  mention  of  the  fee.  Similarly  it  is  to  the  squire's  con- 
fused and  defective  memory  that  we  must  ascribe  the  complete 
omission  of  the  most  striking  feature  of  the  whole  story,  the  fier 
baiser,  as  well  as  a  number  of  other  extraordinary  variations  in 
the  catastrophe. 

In  Wig.  :  ( I )  The  princess  has  herself  suffered  no  bodily  injury 
from  the  magician.'*     It  is  her  father  who  has  been  transformed  into 


1  Mebes  would  have  done  better  to  designate  v.  1564  (44,  20)  or  perhaps  1554 
(44,  10)  as  the  beginning  of  the  part  of  Wig.  derived  from  his  hypothetical  manu- 
script;  but  the  difference  of  these  few  lines  does  not  affect  the  argument. 

2  Mebes  does  not  expressly  mention  this  passage,  but  it  falls  within  that  part  of 
Wig.  which  he  refers  to  the  squire's  story,  and  Mennung  (p.  61)  lays  great  stress 
on  it.     See  a  full  discussion  of  the  latter's  argument,  below,  p.  229. 

^  His  ignorance  appears  to  be  ascribed  by  Mebes  partly  to  his  possessing  a 
(hypothetical)  manuscript  which  belonged  to  a  different  class  from  that  of  which 
the  Due  d'Aumale's  is  a  member,  partly  to  his  own  forgetfulness  (pp.  13,  15); 
but  this  is  a  detail  of  no  importance  in  the  argument. 

*  Hence  there  is  no  Jier  baiser.  Wig.  has  to  slay  the  great  serpent  Pfetdn, 
and  this  adventure,  which  is  one  of  the  two  things  necessary  to  the  relief  of  the 
princess's  country  and  the  securing  of  her  hand,  is  thought  to  be  a  dim  reminis- 


Studies  oil  the  Libeatis  Descomis.  21 1 

an  animal.  He  seems,  however,  to  have  had  the  power  at  certain 
times  of  changing  back  to  man's  shape.  Moreover,  even  as  an  animal, 
he  is  able  to  show  by  his  actions  that  he  is  friendly  to  Wig.  (Cf.  Car.)^ 
(2)  Larie  has  been  removed  with  her  mother  to  the  city  Roimunt 
(  =  Kunigsberc) .  Wig.  comes  there,  is  welcomed,  falls  desperately 
in  love  with  the  princess,  and  is  promised  her  hand  if  he  is  successful 
in  overcoming  Roaz  von  Glois,  the  enchanter.  (3)  Roaz  comes  out 
of  a  door,  preceded  by  a  magic  cloud  invisible  to  Wig.  but  visible  to 
those  with  the  enchanter.  He  wishes  to  overcome  Wig.  by  cunning ; 
but  the  knight's  cross  prevents  the  cloud  from  coming  nearer.  (Cf. 
Fsredur.y     (4)  Strangely  enough,  Roaz  has  a  loved  one,  Japhite, 


cence  of  the  enchanted  princess.  It  is  to  be  observed,  however,  that  Pfetan  is 
not  a  result  of  the  magician's  arts.  In  fact,  he  is  the  magician's  enemy  and 
wastes  his  comitry  (123,  26-31).     There  is  great  confusion  here. 

1  Larte's  father  is  said  to  have  been  treacherously  killed  at  his  castle  of  Koriittn 
by  the  magician,  who,  as  the  occupant  of  a  fief  in  the  neighborhood,  seems  to 
have  been  his  vassal  (97,  10  ff.;  204,  21).  The  dead  king's  soul  (125,  31)  in  the 
form  of  a  beast  with  a  leopard's  head  appears  daily  before  the  castle  of  Roimunt 
and  takes  the  road  to  Kornttn  (loi,  27  ff.).  Wig.  follows  the  beast,  whose  bear- 
ing is  friendly,  to  the  castle  of  Korntin  (117,  16  ff.).  Before  the  castle  is  a  kind 
of  park  (on  a  rock),  on  reaching  which  the  beast  becomes  a  beautiful  man 
(121,  4).  The  man  explains,  in  effect,  that  he  is  doing  purgatorial  penance  and 
that  he  is  released  therefrom  for  a  certain  time  each  day,  this  park  being  the 
place  of  his  respite.  He  tells  Wig.  of  the  serpent  and  of  Roaz,  and  informs  him 
that  every  night  he,  and  the  knights  slain  with  him  in  the  traitorous  onslaught  of 
Roaz,  suffer  torment  in  Korntin  castle,  which  he  and  the  knights  (whom  Wig. 
has  seen  jousting  with  heated  weapons  before  the  castle)  enter  at  the  end  of  his 
conversation  with  Wig.  Kornttn  castle  and  its  environs,  it  is  plain,  have  become 
a  demesne  of  Purgatory  (125,  31  ff.).  This  accounts  for  the  fact,  which  Wig.  has 
learned  at  Roimunt,  that  Kornttn  appears  to  be  on  fire  every  night,  but  that  m  the 
morning  it  always  stands  uninjured  as  before  (112,  t^t,  ff.).  This  burning  castle  is 
thought  by  Mebes  to  be  a  reminiscence  of  the  squire's  of  the  brilliantly  lighted  hall 
of  \!n^  gaste  cite  in  BI.  It  is  to  be  observed  that  Wig.'s  fight  with  the  dragon  takes 
place  in  the  Korntin  territory,  but  not  in  or  near  the  castle,  and  that  his  combat 
with  the  enchanter  Roaz  takes  place  at  the  castle  of  Glois,  the  home  of  Roaz, 
which  is  at  some  distance  from  Kornttn  castle  (161,  26  ff.). 

2  All  this  takes  place  at  the  castle  of  Glois  (see  preceding  note).  The  cloud 
contains  the  devil  to  whom  Roaz  has  sold  himself  (18S,  13  ff.).  Before  he  enters 
Glois  castle.  Wig.  has  to  overcome  a  dwarfish  knight  who  guards  the  road  (169- 
174),  a  monster,  Marrten,  half  man  and  half  horse  (178,  27  ff.),  and  two  old 
knights.     Of  the  latter,  one  is  killed  and  the  other,  Count  AdSn,  is  wounded  and 


212  IF.    //.    Sc/iojichl 

thoughts  of  whom  inspire  him  in  the  fight  with  Wig.  When  he  is 
killed,  her  distress  is  indescribable.  She  finally  dies  of  grief  beside 
him.  (5)  There  are  no  dwellers  in  Glois  but  women,'  for  Roaz  is 
jealous  lest  any  one  come  between  him  and  his  wife.  These  five 
features  are  enough  to  show  that  the  whole  conclusion  of  the  story 
has  been  altered.  (6)  There  is  a  general  conversion  to  Christianity 
after  Wig.'s  victory.-  (7)  News  comes  to  him  while  he  is  on  his  way 
to  the  court  that  his  mother  is  dead.  Gawein^  laments  her  loss.  She 
sends  her  son  a  ring  as  her  last  gift  in  witness  of  her  love.  (8)  When 
they  reach  the  court,  Arthur  takes  Gawein  and  his  son  into  the  hall 
and  honors  them.  (9)  After  the  festivity,  when  Wig.  and  Larie 
depart,  Gawein  rides  back  part  of  the  way  with  them,  and  there  is 
an  affecting  parting.  (10)  Larie  bears  Wig.  a  son,  whose  name 
becomes  widely  known  as  Lifort  Gawanides. 

All  or  most  of  these  changes  Mebes  would  ascribe  to  the  error  of 
the  squire's  memory.  He  thinks,  however,  that  the  account  as  just 
summarized  (in  text  and  foot-notes)  betrays  sufficient  resemblance 
to  that  in  BI  to  show  that  the  squire's  narrative  was  based  on  that 
poem,  if  one  further  passage,  which  he  regards  as  particularly  impor- 
tant, be  considered.     This  is  as  follows  : 

In  BI  the  voice  of  the  Fairy  of  the  lie  d'Or  (see  4903-10),  who 
is  invisible,  tells  the  hero  after  his  fight  with  the  giant  that  he  was 
baptized  by  the  name  of  Giglain,  and  that  he  was  wrongly  called  by 
Arthur,  Li  Biaus  Desconeus  ;  that  Gauvain  was  his  father,  and  the  F^e 


promises  fealty  to  Wig.  (185,  8).  As  to  the  lights  in  the  hall  at  Senaudon,  the 
twelve  candles  borne  by  the  maidens  at  Glois  (187,  32-35)  furnish  a  better  com- 
parison than  the  nightly  burning  of  Kornttn  castle. 

^  With  the  exception  of  those  mentioned  in  the  preceding  note. 

2  This  conversion  takes  place  at  Kornttn  castle  (242-243),  where  the  marriage 
is  celebrated.  Kornttn  has  suddenly  ceased  to  be  a  place  of  purgatory.  Larte's 
father  has  informed  Wig.  that  his  own  term  of  penance  was  on  the  point  of  ex- 
piring (125,  31-37),  and  we  must  suppose  that  the  castle  has  resumed  its  former 
appearance  (222,  13-18;  226,  7-18;   231,  30  ff.). 

'^  Gawein  has  unexpectedly  appeared  at  Kornttn  castle  while  the  wedding  party 
is  there  (244,  18  ff.).  Mebes  remarks  that,  after  the  enchanter  is  overcome, 
Larte  declares  to  her  assembled  vassals,  "  ganz  wie  bei  Renaud,"  that  she  "  Wiga- 
lois,  der  im  Gegensatz  zu  der  Darstellung  Beaujeu's  sofort  einwilligt,  heiraten 
woUe"  (see  240,  7  ff.).  It  must  be  remembered  that  there  is  nothing  about  the 
fee  in  Wig.  from  beginning  to  end. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descomis.  213 

a  Blanchemal  his  mother ;  that  the  latter  had  given  him  armor  and  a 
sword,  and  sent  him  to  Arthur,  who  had  entrusted  to  him  the  task  of 
helping  the  maiden  (3205-15).  This  VVirnt  narrates  "in  fast  gleicher 
Weise  "  ('according  to  Mebes),  thus:  Wig.  after  his  fight  with  the 
dragon  [in  no  way  connected  with  the  enchanter]  hes  stunned  on  the 
ground  for  a  long  time.  When  he  later  recovers  consciousness  he 
finds  himself  naked  (for  his  clothing  has  been  stripped  from  him  by 
a  man  and  woman  who  have  robbed  and  well-nigh  killed  him),  and 
cannot  make  out  where  he  is.  He  tries  to  remember  and  says  :  "  If 
I  remember  correctly,  my  mother  was  Queen  Florie  of  Syria;  my 
uncle  was  called  Joram,  who  was  strong  and  wise  and  won  the  victory 
over  all  the  knights  at  Karidol ;  my  father  was  Gawein,  and  was  one 
of  the  best  knights  in  the  world ;  Larie  was  the  name  of  '  diu 
frouwe  min,' "  etc.  (150,  30-151,  6).  This  agreement  Mebes  cites 
as  "  characteristischund  von  nicht  zu  unterschatzender  Bedeutung." 
But  the  merest  glance  shows  that  the  two  passages  have  little  in 
common.  All  the  circumstances  are  entirely  different.  Wig.  learns 
nothing  whatever  of  his  parentage  that  he  did  not  know  before. 
Indeed,  there  is  no  question  of  his  gaining  information ;  he  is  merely 
recalling,  while  in  a  semi-conscious  state,  his  own  earlier  experiences.^ 
But  BI,  in  the  passage  cited,  is  having  his  parentage,  of  which  he  is 
ignorant,  revealed  to  him  by  a  magic  voice.  Mebes  might  have  found 
a  far  better  parallel  in  the  account  which  the  father  of  Larie,  changed 
for  the  nonce  from  his  animal  form,  gives  Wig.  of  the  latter's  birth. 

With  regard  to  the  numerous  adventures^  which  the  last  part 
of  Wig.  (that  is,  the  part  that  follows  the  sparrow-hawk  [parrot] 
adventure)  contains,  —  altogether  many  thousand  lines  affording  ma- 
terial quite  foreign  to  our  cycle,  —  Mebes  supposes  that  they  were 
inserted  by  Wirnt  to  make  up  for  what  seemed  to  him  lacunae  in  the 
squire's  story. 

Obviously  Mebes's  opinion  that  what  he  regards  as  the  squire's 


1  Wirnt  is  here  imitating  Hartmann's  Iwein,  3505  ff.;   see  Bethge,  p.  59. 

2  Such  are :  the  fight  with  the  rival  suitor  (87,  ■^t,  ff.) ;  the  part  played  by  the 
lord  and  lady  of  Joriphas  (127,  5  ff.) ;  the  stripping  of  Wig.  liy  the  poor  man  and 
his  wife  (138,  10  ff.);  the  fight  with  the  wild  woman  RQel  (162,  20  ff.);  some  of 
the  features  in  the  fight  at  Glois;  the  campaign  of  Wig.  against  Lion  (250,  15  ff.), 
which  occupies  about  1500  lines.  Mebes  does  not  specify  these  adventures: 
indeed,  his  language  on  this  whole  matter  is  very  vague. 


214  U:  H.  Schoficld. 

narrative  was  derivoil  from  RI,  depends  for  its  acceptance  on  the 
acceptance  of  his  theory  that  in  the  previous  part  of  the  story 
(i.e.,  Wig.  43.  14-S7,  21)  Wirnt  was  drawing  from  BI.  For  Mebes 
expresses  in  the  most  emphatic  terms  his  sense  of  the  dissimilarity 
of  Wig.  to  BI  in  that  part  of  tlie  former  which  he  supposes  was 
founded  on  the  oral  narrative.  We  must  then  consider  whether  there 
is  any  proof  that  Wirnt  knew  a  fragmentary  manuscript  of  BI,  and, 
in  the  next  place,  whether  Wirnt's  poem  was  based  on  BI  at  all. 

Mebes  quotes  four  passages  of  some  length  from  Wig.,  with  the 
corresponding  passages  in  BI,  as  fair  specimens  of  those  corre- 
spondences between  the  two  poems  that  have  convinced  him  that 
Wirnt  had  a  manuscript  of  BI.  Of  these  four  parallels  we  need 
consider  but  one,  —  that  which  Mennung  (pp.  58,  59),  who  accepts 
Mebes's  view,  has  selected  as  in  itself  convincing.  This  is  Wig., 
53,  24-54,  12  :  BI,  2487-2514.  After  a  long  comparison  (the  very 
elaboration  of  which  suggests  that  the  resemblance  is  not  quite 
exact),  Mennung  concludes  that  no  one  will  doubt  that  the  one  is,  in 
Mebes's  words,  only  a  "  ziemlich  getreue  Uebersetzung  "  of  the  other. 
Surely,  however,  there  is  ample  room  for  doubt.  The  point  under 
discussion,  I  repeat,  is  not :  Did  Wirnt  have  a  French  or  any  version 
of  the  Desc.  story  as  his  original?  but.  Did  he  have  before  him  a 
manuscript  of  the  particular  poem  BI  ?  When  this  is  remembered,  it 
is  impossible  to  call  the  passage  in  Wig.  a  "  pretty  close  translation," 
or,  indeed,  a  translation  at  all.  When  a  Middle  High  German  poet 
translates,  he  does  so  unmistakably ;  indeed,  his  words  can  even  be 
used  for  the  textual  criticism  of  his  original.  In  the  present  instance 
there  is  no  real  verbal  agreement  between  the  two  passages  :  the 
German  throws  no  hght  whatever  on  the  readings  of  the  French  text. 
Imagine  a  textual  critic  using  Wig.  1930  ("  ichn  weiz  ab  wie  sin  name 
si")  to  determine  the  text  of  BI,  2501  ("  Et  Lampars  a  a  non  li 
sire"). 

But  Mennung  makes  another  remark  on  these  passages  :  "  Hierbei," 
he  says  (pp.  59-60),  "ist  ein  besonderer  Nachdruck  darauf  zu  legen, 
dass  die  Uebereinstimmung  sowohl  eine  qualitative  ah  auch  vor  allem 
eine  quantitative  ist,  denn  die  28  frz.  Verse  entsprecheji  den  2g  mhd. 
genauy  The  fact  that  one  poem  takes  twenty-nine  lines  to  describe 
what  in  another,  dealing  with  the  same  event,  occupies  twenty-eight, 
surely  proves  nothing  unless  there  is  a  line-for-line  agreement,  as 


Studies  071  the  Libeaics  Descotius.  215 

is  not  the  case  in  the  present  instance.  But  the  force  of  Mennung's 
remark  disappears  altogether  when  we  observe  that  the  "  quantitative 
agreement "  is  not  true  of  the  messenger's  speech  as  a  whole,  for  in 
BI  Helie  goes  on  with  fifteen  and  a  half  lines  more  in  which  she  adds 
important  information.  The  only  fair  basis  for  a  quantitative  com- 
parison would  be  the  whole  of  the  messenger's  speech  in  each  case. 
The  additional  lines  are  too  significant  to  have  been  omitted  by  a 
close  translator  or  by  any  translator.  H^lie  explains  that,  if  a  knight 
is  defeated,  the  citizens  all  gather  and  throw  at  his  face 

torces  enbodes 
Qui  sont  de  la  boe  loees, 
Et  puis  plains  de  cendre  et  d'ordure  (2517  ff.)  ; 

while  the  result  in  Wig.  is  merely : 

so  muoz  er  danne  blozer  wider 
scheiden  gar  an  sine  babe.     (54,  8-9.) 

As  to  the  three  other  parallels  adduced  by  Mebes,  they  are  not  near 
enough  to  give  ground  for  the  opinion  that  Wirnt  used  any  part  of  a 
manuscript  of  the  BI  of  Renaud.  Of  course  there  is  some  resem- 
blance in  each  case,  for  both  poets  are  telling  the  same  story ;  but 
this  very  fact  makes  the  resemblances  even  less  significant.  A  slight 
resemblance  was  inevitable.  The  agreements  must,  in  a  case  like 
this,  be  very  decided  to  establish  the  borrowing  of  one  specific  ver- 
sion of  a  story  from  another. 

The  parallels  adduced  by  Mebes  and  Mennung  are  thus  shown  to 
be  quite  insufficient  to  support  their  view  that  Wirnt  had  a  manu- 
script of  BI  before  him.'  Indeed,  they  might  well  be  held  to  prove 
the  opposite  view.  It  seems  clear  that  in  the  part  of  Wig.  which 
resembles  the  Desc.  poems  Wirnt  was  not  following  a  manuscript  of 
any  of  the  extant  poems  of  our  cycle. 

But  what  relation  does  the  general  form  of  the  story  as  told  in 
Wig.  bear  to  these  other  Desc.  poems?  Meisner  and  Kolbing 
thought  that  Wirnt  had  before  him  a  French  working-over  of  a 
primitive  poem,  which  he  followed  throughout.  This  view  is,  how- 
ever, entirely  untenable,  as  will  appear  later.  Nearly  all  other  inves- 
tigators of  this  subject,  for  example,  Mebes,  Mennung,  Paris,  Kaluza, 


^  Cf.  Bethge,  JVirtU  von  Gravenberg,  pp.  24  ff. 


2i6  ir.  J/.  Schoficld. 

and  Bethge,  have  been  confident  that  Renaud's  poem  was  the  one 
to  which  Wig.  went  back  more  or  less  directly.  It  is  essential,  then, 
that  we  should  examine  this  opinion. 

It  is  not  going  too  far  to  say  that,  if  Wirnt  followed  Renaud,  he  must 
surely  have  shown  traces  of  the  latter's  marked  peculiarities  and  have 
agreed  with  him  in  some  points  in  which  Renaud  varied  from  his 
original.  If  he  has  done  this,  the  question  is  at  once  settled  in  favor 
of  BI  as  the  source  of  Wig. ;  if  not,  this  theory  has  no  prop.  We 
remember  that  the  incidents  due  to  the  relations  between  BI  and  the 
enchantress  occupy  by  all  odds  the  leading  place  in  Renaud's  poem. 
They  must  have  been  unquestionably  the  parts  most  easily  remem- 
bered,' and  yet  they  are  not  even  hinted  at  in  Wigalois.  Further,  the 
other  important  change  which  we  know  Renaud  to  have  made,  is  the 
introduction  of  the  squire  Robert,  who  is  ever  at  hand,  always  doing 
or  saying  something  ;  but  he  is  not  mentioned  in  Wig.  If  Wirnt  had 
him  in  his  original,^  he  has  with  great  care  cut  him  out  of  the  story,  so 
that  he  has  been  able  to  make  it  more  primitive  and  simpler,  more 
hke  LD  and  Car. 

But,  if  we  examine  the  poems  more  closely,  we  find  that  Wig.  agrees 
with  BI,  as  opposed  to  LD  in  the  following  points  : 

(i)  The  dwarf  at  court  does  not  object  to  the  sending  of  Wig. 
His  singing  a  song  will  not,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  be  urged  as  an  objection. 
(2)  The  messenger  and  dwarf  ride  away  without  Wig.,  who  follows 
later  and  asks  to  be  allowed  to  accompany  them.  In  LD  all  three 
leave  the  court  together.  (3)  It  is  said  that  on  the  evening  of  the 
fight  with  the  giants  the  nightingales  were  singing  and  the  moon  was 
shining.  (4)  Wig.  inquires  of  his  companion  if  she  hears  the  cries 
of  the  maiden  in  distress.     LD  says  nothing  to  Elene  at  this  time. 


1  Even  as  late  as  1777  the  Comte  de  Tressan  picked  them  out  for  narration. 
Bethge  also  argues  that  it  is  inconceivable  that  Wirnt  or  his  squire  could  have 
forgotten  these  parts  of  the  story.  He  explains  their  omission  as  due  to  moral 
scruples  on  Wirnt's  part.  "  Wirnt,"  he  says,  "  ist  ein  ausserst  sittenstrenger  maniv, 
er  vermeidet  alles  was  auch  der  grosten  priiderie  irgend  anstossig  sein  konte," 
etc.  Golther,  Gesch.  der  deuischen  Lilt.,  I,  226,  adopts  this  somewhat  amusing 
explanation. 

2  I  say  Wirnt's  original,  for  it  matters  little  here  whether  we  believe  he  had  a 
manuscript  before  him  or  was  following  the  tale  of  a  squire.  If  the  latter,  then  I 
mean  the  form  of  the  story  which  the  squire  learned. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus.  217 

(5)  The  dwarf  stands  up  for  Wig.  against  the  messenger's  chiding. 

(6)  The  little  dog  is  said  to  be  mostly  white.  (7)  The  sparrow- 
hawk  adventure  is  preceded  by  the  meeting  of  the  hero  with  a  beau- 
tiful young  maiden,  "evidently  of  king's  kin,"  riding  along  alone. 
She  is  in  great  sorrow  because  she  had  been  deprived  of  the  prize  of 
beauty,  which  was  justly  hers.  There  is  no  such  character  in  LD. 
(8)  The  hall  of  the  enchanter  becomes  suddenly  dark,  and  Wig. 
cannot  see  his  hand  before  him.  (9)  After  the  fight  Wig.,  exhausted, 
goes  to  sleep,  and,  when  he  awakes,  the  daylight  has  come.  (10) 
He  has  his  wounds  washed  and  bound  up.  (11)  The  place  is  puri- 
fied from  enchantment. 

On  the  other  hand,  Wig.  agrees  with  LD  as  opposed  to  BI  in  the 
following  points  besides  those  already  mentioned  : 

1.  It  has  an  account  of  the  youth  of  the  hero  and  gives  good 
reasons  for  his  coming  to  Arthur's  court.  In  BI  he  appears  there 
suddenly,  and  we  know  nothing  of  his  early  life  nor  of  what  has 
attracted  him  thither. 

2.  He  is  courteous  in  his  demeanor  and  shows  due  respect  to  the 
king.  In  BI  he  rides  into  the  hall  and  remains  obstinately  on  horse- 
back before  the  king  until  he  is  granted  an  unreasonable  request. 

3.  We  all  know  him  from  the  first  to  be  the  son  of  Gawein.  In 
BI  this  is  first  revealed  after  he  has  gone  through  many  adventures. 

4.  The  king  asks  him  his  name  at  once  and  the  stranger  gives  him 
the  name  by  which  he  is  known.  In  BI  it  is  not  until  they  are  seated 
at  *the  feast  that  the  king  thinks  it  well  to  find  out.  He  then  sends 
Beduier  to  inquire  quietly,  and  the  speeches  of  Arthur  to  Beduier, 
Beduier  to  BI,  BI  to  Beduier,  and  Beduier  to  Arthur  are  all  given. 

5.  The  stranger  wishes  to  be  made  a  knight. 

6.  He  is  given  over  to  Gawein  for  instruction  in  knightly  ways. 

7.  The  feast  is  prepared  for  the  young  knight.  In  BI  they  are  at 
table  when  he  comes. 

8.  He  is  given  a  sword,  shield,  and  spear,  together  with  rich  ap- 
parel.   BI  comes  armed,  and  nothing  of  the  kind  is  bestowed  on  him. 

9.  The  messenger  rides  a  white  horse  (cf.  Lai  de  Tyolet). 
10.  The  dwarf  is  gifted  in  music.^ 


1  Cf.  also  the  description  of  the  dwarf  who  accompanies  the  maiden  in  Dur- 
tnart,  1786  :  "A  grosse  vois  venoit  chantant."     Cf.  also  Perc,  18785  £f. 


2l8  /;■.//.   ScJwficId. 

11.  There  is  no  specific  mention  of  what  the  hero  must  do.  In 
BI  it  is  said  he  will  have  to  perform  the  "  fier  baiser." 

12.  The  hero  offers  his  services  immediately  without  giving  the 
others  a  chance.  In  RI,  .Arthur  looks  about  waiting  for  some  one  to 
present  himself. 

13.  In  the  fight  with  the  giants,  when  the  hero  is  aroused  he  starts 
off  at  once  and  alone  to  the  fight.  In  BI  he  has  to  wait  until  he  has 
overruled  all  H^lie's  objections  and  crossed  himself,  and  until  the 
whole  company  is  got  in  motion.  Then  follows  Robert,  who  acts  as 
guide.  When  they  see  the  maiden,  BI  has  a  parley  with  H^lie,  who 
tells  him  all  about  the  giants  and  advises  him  not  to  go  unless  he 
wishes  to  be  killed.  The  companion  has  no  objection  to  his  going  in 
LD  and  Wig. 

14.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  fight  Arthur  is  remembered :  in  one 
case  the  heads  are  sent,  in  the  other  the  young  lady  is  taken  to  him ; 
in  both  mention  is  made  of  the  joy  at  Arthur's  court.  Arthur  is  not 
spoken  of  in  BI  in  connection  with  this  adventure. 

15.  The  hero's  companion  expresses  a  desire  for  the  little  dog, 
and  he  catches  it  and  presents  it  to  her.  In  BI  she  herself  dis- 
mounts and  gets  it,  being  able  to  catch  it  because  it  has  a  thorn 
in  its  foot. 

16.  The  dog  comes  alone.  In  BI  it  comes,  with  other  dogs,  pur- 
suing a  stag. 

17.  The  companions  go  on  "  mit  grozen  frouden,"  or  telling  tales 
of  knightly  deeds.     In  BI  the  owner  of  the  dog  appears  at  once.    ■ 

18.  The  hero  meets  the  owner's  threats  with  ridicule.  In  BI  he 
begs  his  companion  to  give  the  dog  back. 

19.  He  finds  to  his  dismay  that  the  magician  with  whom  he  has 
fought  and  whom  he  has  left  lying  on  the  ground,  has  been  carried 
off  mysteriously. 

20.  Only  one  sword  can  harm  the  magician. 

21.  The  hero  himself  announces  the  latter's  death. 

22.  The  young  woman  whom  he  saves  from  her  trouble  goes  with 
him  to  Arthur's  court. 

These  agreements  between  Wig.  and  LD  in  points  in  which  the 
latter  is  at  variance  with  BI  are  very  striking,  and  seem  to  me  to  put 
out  of  the  question  the  theory  that  Wirnt  was  following  Renaud's 
poem,  even  in  a  second-hand  account.     Taken  in  connection  with 


Studies  oil  the  Libeaiis  Dcscomis.  219 

the  agreements  between  Wig.  and  BI  as  opposed  to  LD  (pointed  out 
above,  p.  216),  they  suggest  the  theory  that  Wig.,  in  those  parts  of 
the  poem  which  resemble  the  other  members  of  the  Desc.  cycle,  is 
derived  either  from  the  common  original  of  BI-LD,  or  from  some 
form  closely  allied  to  that  original.^ 

We  must  consider  what  bearing  the  proper  names  in  the  three 
poems  have  on  this  theory.  As  we  have  seen  (above,  pp.  59,  60),  there 
are  one  hundred  and  forty  names  in  BI  which  are  not  in  LD.  None 
of  these  are  in  Wig.  either.  There  is  no  name  in  the  borrowed  part 
of  Wig.  which  is  in  BI  and  not  in  LD.  Indeed,  if  I  mistake  not, 
Erec,  Kay,  and  Miljanz  are  the  only  names  in  the  whole  poem  which 
are  in  BI  but  not  in  LD,  and  in  no  case  are  the  actions  of  these 
characters  in  any  way  similar.  In  BI,  Kay  is  Arthur's  seneschal,  and 
Melians  is  mentioned  once  among  the  knights  at  the  tournament. 
In  Wig.  they  are  two  of  those  who  fight  unsuccessfully  with  the  owner 
of  the  girdle.  As  for  Erec,  he  is  mentioned  in  BI  but  twice,  once  in 
the  list  of  those  at  court,  and  again  in  the  list  of  those  at  the  tourna- 
ment. In  Wig.,  Erec,  Lanzelet,  and  Iwein  are  the  knights  who  are 
associated  with  Gawein  to  go  and  congratulate  the  boy  on  his  victory. 
In  BI,  "  Lasselos  dou  Lac  "  and  Yvain  are  both  mentioned  in  lists  of 
warriors,  but  nowhere  are  they  associated  with  Gawein.  In  LD, 
however,  Gawein,  Iwein,  and  Launcelet  are  three  of  the  five  knights 
who  are  sent  to  get  the  boy  ready  to  start  out.  Obviously  the  argu- 
ment from  proper  names  does  not  interfere  with  the  theory  suggested, 
but  on  the  contrary  strengthens  it. 

As  to  the  large  part  of  Wig.  (some  9000  verses)  which  does  not 
correspond  to  the  Desc.  poems,  what  shall  we  say?  Are  we  to  agree 
with  Mebes  that  it  was  in  this  part  of  the  poem  only  that  Wirnt 
depended  on  the  narrative  of  his  squire  ?  And  if  so,  are  we  to  sup- 
pose that  the  faint  reminiscences  of  the  Desc.  story  which  these 
lines  contain  are  all  that  Wirnt  derived  from  the  squire  or,  with  Men- 
nung,  that  most  of  the  extraneous  matter  came  from  the  squire's 
stores  of  information? 

The  author  of  Wig.  opens  his  poem  with  some  account  of  himself, 


1  Kolbing,  Engl.  Stzidien,  I,  121-69,  long  ago  pointed  out  some  of  the 
agreements  between  Wig.  and  LD  in  important  points  in  which  LD  and  BI 
differ. 


220  U:  //.   Schofield. 

giving  his  name  and  asking  leniency  of  his  readers  "wan  ditz  ist  sin 
erstez  were  "  (8,  40).     He  explains  to  us  : 

*  nu  wil  ich  iu  ein  maere 
sagen,  als  cz  »iir  ist  geseit?     (8,  31-2.) 

In  many  other  places  also  he  refers  to  an  oral  account  for  his  source, 
and  he  appeals  to  his  authorities  thirty-four  times  in  all.  Such  refer- 
ences may  be  in  general  merely  conventional  phrases,  and  much 
weight  cannot  be  given  them.  Without  exception  they  either  take 
up  a  whole  line  or  the  latter  part. of  one,  and  are  thus  convenient 
rhyme-resources.  It  is,  however,  very  striking  that,  in  the  part  which 
shows  pretty  close  relation  to  the  Desc.  cycle,  there  is  practically 
not  a  single  reference  of  this  kind.  In  the  first  47  columns  which 
precede  the  main  event  with  which  the  Desc.  stories  begin,  we  have 
10  references  to  a  source.  Then  come  the  58  columns  which  corre- 
spond to  our  cycle,  and  in  these  there  are  but  three  such  references.-^ 
Immediately  after  the  resemblance  ceases,  they  begin  again,  and 
before  the  poem  closes  we  find  21  more.  It  certainly  looks  as  if 
the  poet  felt  himself  on  fairly  secure  ground  when  he  was  following, 
more  or  less  closely  as  his  fancy  dictated,  the  Desc.  story ;  but  as 
if  in  all  the  rest,  where  he  used  no  such  guide,  he  felt  he  had  to  prop 
up  his  account  by  appeals  to  his  authorities.  We  cannot  but  feel 
that  our  author  "  doth  protest  too  much."  He  knows  his  narrative 
is  rambling  and  extravagant,  and  he  betrays  over-anxiety  lest  his 
readers  get  the  impression  that  he  is  inventing.  So  far  no  one  has 
been  able  to  say  definitely  where  Wirnt  got  all  his  new  material.^ 
The  introductory  part  shows  some  resemblances  to  other  stories  of 
the  Arthur  cycle ;  but  the  latter  part  is  mostly  foreign  to  it. 

This  continuation  is  full  of  stories,  such  as  were  especially  common 


1  Just  at  the  beginning  there  are  two  in  the  part  where  the  two  accounts  over- 
lap, but  in  both  cases  they  are  used  to  explain  the  introduction  of  features  not  in 
the  Desc.  poems.  The  first  (48,  5)  tells  how  lavish  Arthur  was  with  his  presents 
to  his  guests;  the  second  how  the  dwarf  rode  behind  the  maiden  wherever  she 
went,  with  his  hands  on  her  shoulders.  Moreover,  just  at  the  end  an  episode 
foreign  to  our  cycle  is  introduced  before  the  last  corresponding  adventure  is  told, 
and  there  too  we  have  an  appeal  to  authority  (102,  6)  when  the  author  tells  how 
the  dragon  emits  all-destroying  fire  from  its  mouth.  See  Mennung's  list  (p.  64; 
cf.  p.  61);   cf.  also  9,  5;   23,  24;    138,  7;   204,  20. 

-  See  Bethge,  Wirnt  von  Gravenberg,  kap.  ii. 


Studies  oil  the  Libeaiis  Dcsconus.  221 

in  the  East,  telling  of  marvellous  monsters  and  monstrous  marvels. 
Indeed,  the  combination  of  the  several  parts  forms  a  very  incongruous 
mixture.  We  read  (p.  257)  of  the  arrival  at  a  place  of  Gawein, 
Erec,  Owein,  and  Lancelot,  in  the  same  breath  with  that  of  the 
different  kings  of  Asia.  The  Queen  of  Persia  begs  Wig.  to  go  home 
with  her  a  few  days  after  he  has  left  Karidol.  No  regard  is  paid  to 
limitations  of  time  and  space.  Syria,  Lybia,  and  India  are  near  at 
hand.  Larie,  the  princess  whom  Wig.  marries,  goes  with  him  to 
Arthur's  court  on  an  elephant,  in  true  Eastern  fashion;  and  so  on. 
It  is  my  belief  that  Wirnt  is  himself  responsible  for  this  conglomerate. 
He  probably  gathered  in  materials  from  different  sources  and  joined 
them  together  ;  and  parts  may  be  sheer  inventions  of  his  own.  Meis- 
ner's  view,^  that  he  followed  closely  an  old  French  original  throughout, 
merely  begs  the  question. 

Wirnt  himself,  however,  asserts  that  his  poem  follows  the  oral 
narrative  of  a  squire.-  Speaking  of  Gawein's  defeat  by  an  unknown 
knight  and  Arthur's  sorrow  because  of  it,  he  evidently  realizes 
that  it  was  a  perilous  thing  to  depart  from  the  traditional  view, 
which  always  represented  Gawein  as  invincible,  and  so  he  adds : 

ez  enquceme  ouch  niemer  fur  minen  munt, 

hiet  mirz  ein  knappe  niht  geseit 

ze  einer  ganzen  warheit, 

wider  den  ich  alia  wile  streit.     (20,  15  fF.) 

The  object  of  this  is  of  course  to  inspire  us  with  confidence  in  the 
narrator,  who  thus  assures  us  that  he  has  allowed  nothing  which  is 
at  variance  with  accepted  views  to  pass  into  the  book  without  being 
well  attested.     In  concluding  he  again  speaks  of  the  squire  as  his 

authority  : 

Ich  wil  daz  maere  volnden  hie, 
als  michz  ein  knappe  wizzen  lie 
der  mir  ez  ze  tihten  gunde. 
niwan  eines  von  sinem  tnunde 
enpfie  ich  die  dventiure.     (297,  22  fF.) 

^  See  above,  p.  208. 

2  Tliere  is  a  paper  MS.  of  Wig.  of  the  year  1468  in  the  British  Museum  (Addit. 
19,554);  see  Ward,  Catal.  of  Romances,  I,  398  fl.  The  hero  there  gives  his  name 
as  Wigaleis  von  Galoys  instead  of  Givi  von  Galois  in  the  printed  editions.  At  the 
end  the  author  says  he  had  learned  the  story  from  a  "  maister,"  not  a  "  knappe." 


222  ir.    //.    Schofldd. 

It  is  of  course  possible  to  regard  all  this  as  merely  a  literary  subter- 
fuge, but  I  see  no  reason  for  such  incredulity.  If  we  accept  the 
author's  statement  so  far  as  to  believe  that  he  derived  a  part  of  his 
poem  from  the  squire,  it  must  surely  have  been  not  the  part  foreign 
to  our  cycle,  but  rather  the  Desc.  part '  which  the  squire  is  responsible 
for.  This-  is  the  only  part  of  Wig.  which  can  really  be  called  the 
storx.  The  rest  is  mainly  a  hotch-potch  of  miscellaneous  adventures 
added,  with  the  idea  of  lengthening  and,  doubtless,  as  the  writer 
thought,  of  improving  his  narrative.  When,  then,  Wirnt  says  that  the 
storv  was  told  him  by  a  squire,  we  must  understand  by  that  the  parts 
which  correspond  to  the  account  in  the  Desc.  poems,  Moreover,  if 
Wirnt  was  only  told  the  story  by  word  of  mouth  by  a  squire,  who  may 
himself  have  received  it  in  like  manner,  and  who  at  any  rate  could 
hardly  have  remembered  it  exactly,  this  accounts  for  the  variations  of 
Wig.  in  the  Desc.  part  from  any  other  account  of  our  hero's  advent- 
ures. It  might  well  account  also  for  the  almost  complete  omission  (in 
the  Desc.  part)  of  the  names  familiar  to  us  in  both  LD  and  BI,  and 
therefore  in  their  original,  as  contrasted  with  the  plethora  of  strange 
names  in  the  continuation.^  I  open  the  German  poem  at  random,  and 
find  in  cols.  257-8  the  following  names:  Korntin,  Rial,  JerapMn, 
Zaradech,  Panschafar,  Liamere,Roimu7it,  Elaviie,  Marin,  Lion,  Addn 
von  Alarie,  Darel,  Gamer,  Ariun,  Medarie,  Belaa'm,  Bejolarz,  Leo- 
darz.  Moral,  Ursin,  Ambigdl,  Sdlie,  —  twenty-three  names  unknown  to 
our  cycle  in  less  than  fifty  short  lines.  Under  ordinary  circumstances, 
this  absence  of  names  in  one  part  of  a  story  and  abundance  of  them 
in  another  would  be  taken  to  indicate  that  in  the  one  case  the  author 
was  following  an  oral  account,  and  in  the  other  a  manuscript ;  and 
yet  it  is  precisely  the  opposite  view  which  is  maintained  in  this  case 
by  Mebes  and  those  who  agree  with  him.  Surely  Wirnt  could  not 
have  had  any  object  in  deliberately  concealing  or  changing  the  names 
of  his  characters  if  he  had  had  these  in  a  manuscript  before  him. 


1  This  is  the  part  which  Mebes  and  those  who  accept  his  view  regard  as 
derived  from  a  MS.  of  BI.     I  have  tried  to  show  that  this  theory  is  untenable. 

2  With  the  few  bits  of  genuine  Desc.  matter  in  the  non-Desc.  portion.  These 
bits  may  also  be  ascribed  to  the  squire,  though  not  in  the  form  in  which  we  find 
them. 

3  Strangely  enough,  the  messenger,  who  has  no  name  in  the  body  of  the  narra- 
tive, receives  one  at  the  beginning  of  the  continuation  (107,  5). 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconiis.  223 

We  must  conclude,  therefore,  that  it  was  the  Desc.  part  of  Wig.  which 
the  German  poet  learned  from  the  squire. 

Even  in  the  part  in  which  Wirnt  adheres  in  general  features  to  the 
Desc.  poems  he  does  not  do  so  closely.^  He  is  ever  ready  for 
digressions  of  his  own  of  all  kinds.  He  expands  and  works  over  the 
original  story  at  will  (witness  the  account  of  the  sparrow-hawk 
adventure),  introducing  new  features  which  could  never  have  belonged 
to  the  French  original,  and  leaving  his  own  personality  very  clearly 
stamped  on  the  whole  work.^  When  Wig.  sees  the  young  lady  in  the 
power  of  the  giants,  Wirnt  makes  him  stop  and  soliloquize  at  length 
how  much  joy  men  would  lose  if  there  were  no  women.  When  he 
makes  the  giant  promise  to  go  to  Arthur,  he  takes  thirteen  new 
lines  to  explain  how  men  kept  their  oaths  in  former  times.  When 
he  sees  the  maiden  in  distress  because  she  has  been  deprived  of  the 
prize,  riding  alone,  he  takes  the  opportunity  of  introducing  another 
discussion  about  women  and  the  manners  in  olden  times,  which  he 
spreads  over  thirty-eight  lines. 

These  are  only  examples  of  the  way  in  which  Wirnt  regularly  treats 
his  subject.  He  is  no  mere  translator.  He  purposes  to  work  in  his 
own  opinions,  and  feels  no  necessity  of  following  closely  the  story 
which  he  is  using  to  serve  his  purpose.  It  is  possibly  to  this  indi- 
viduality and  to  the  conversational  element  which  he  introduces  into 
the  poem  that  it  owes  the  wide  popularity  attested  by  the  frequent 
mention  of  the  poem  in  other  works,  the  numerous  manuscripts,  and 
the  existence  of  VolksbUcher  in  other  languages  as  well  as  German, 
treating  the  same  subject.^ 

But,  even  if  we  agree  that  the  Desc.  part  of  Wig.  was  told  Wirnt  by 
his  squire,  the  question  still  remains  :  What  form  of  the  story  did 
the  latter  know  ? 

I  have  already  suggested  that  this  part  of  Wig.  is  based  on  the 


1  Cf.  Paris,  Rom.,  XV,  21. 

2  It  should  be  observed  that  Wirnt  tells  his  story  in  such  a  way  that  there  are 
no  breaks  discernible  to  a  reader  unfamiliar  with  other  works  of  the  Desc.  cycle. 

3  Schonbach  {Haupfs  Zt.,  XXIV,  168)  knew  twenty-four  manuscripts  and 
fragments  of  Wig.  For  references  by  Wirnt's  contemporaries  and  by  later  writers, 
see  Pfeiffer,  Vorwort,  p.  xvi,  and  Meisner,  Wirnt  von  Gravenberg,  cap.  i.  Sarrazin, 
Qiiellen  u.  Forschimgen,  XXXV,  7,  points  out  that  IVigamur  shows  the  influence 
of  Wigalois  ;  cf.  Golther,  Gesch.  der  deutschen.  Litt.,  I,  245. 


2^4  J^'   ^^-   Sc/ifljicld. 

original  of  T.D  and  BI,  or  on  so  in  r  form  closely  allied  to  it.  I  have 
put  in  the  itahcized  phrase  in  order  to  avoid  being  too  definite  in  a 
matter  which  is  purely  hypothetical,  and  in  which  the  facts  may  well 
be  more  complicated  than  one  is  disposed  to  think  them  at  first  sight. 
I  cannot  refrain,  for  example,  from  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that 
Wig.  has  points  in  common  with  the  late  prose  redaction  of  Renaud's 
poem ;  and,  more  important  still,  with  Car.  also.  The  former  will 
be  noted  in  the  section  dealing  with  the  Claude  version  (p.  239, 
below).  Let  us  now  see  wherein  Wig.  and  Car.  agree  as  opposed  to 
LD  and  BI. 

(i)  In  both  Wig.  and  Car.  the  mother  plays  an  important  part. 
She  tries  to  dissuade  her  son  from  leaving  her ;  and  when  he  insists, 
she  herself  procures  him  an  equipment.  (2)  The  boy  is  informed 
by  his  mother  who  his  father  is  before  he  goes  to  court,  but  this 
knowledge  is  concealed.  He  bears,  however,  a  definite  name  from 
the  start,  not  one  given  him  by  the  king.  -The  information  given  him 
by  his  mother  of  his  parentage  affects  his  conduct  from  first  to  last. 
(3)  He  has  many  admiring  friends  in  the  city  where  he  dwelt 
before  going  to  Arthur.  (4)  He  does  not  ask  for  a  promise  that  an 
undefined  adventure  be  given  him  to  perform.  (5)  The  messenger 
does  not  chide  the  king  after  the  latter  has  given  his  decision 
that  the  young  knight  is  to  go.  (6)  The  hero  fights  first  with  the 
giant  seated  by  the  fire.  (In  LD  and  BI  with  the  other.)  (7)  The 
princess  whom  he  marries  bears  him  a  son,  of  whom  it  is  specially 
noted  that  he  became  celebrated.  (8)  There  is  only  one  enchanter. 
(9)  In  addition  to  this,  Wig.  and  Car.  show  a  striking  agreement  in 
the  combat  between  the  hero  and  the  single  knight;  cf.  Wig.  55, 
7-14,  19-21,  with  Car.  ii,  23. 

This  conflict  varies  greatly  in  LD  and  BI.  In  the  latter  the  part 
corresponding  occupies  56  lines  (425-4S0)  ;  in  the  former,  72  lines 
(337-408).  In  both  the  knight  is  not  killed,  but  compelled  to  beg 
for  mercy,  and  allowed  to  live  only  on  condition  that  he  give  his 
promise  to  go  to  Arthur.  Further,  in  Wig.  and  Car.,  when  the 
knight  is  seen  to  be  dead,  one  of  the  hero's  company  is  in  great 
alarm  lest  they  pay  dear  for  the  deed.  In  Wig.  the  messenger 
exclaims : 

'  nu  nemt  war 
welch  ein  mort  ir  habt  getan! '     (55,  24-5.) 


Studies  on  the  Libeans  Desconus.  225 

and  says  they  must  hurry  on  to  escape  vengeance.  In  Car.  the 
dwarf  exclaims,  "ome  !  che  a*  tu  fatto?"  (ii,  24,  i)  and  tells  Car. 
that  he  has  slain  a  great  lord.  Pucci  here,  however,  introduces  new 
features  of  his  own,  as  we  have  seen  (pp.  15,  186). 

Of  course  these  agreements  may  be  accidental ;  but  they  seem  to 
indicate  that  there  were  other  versions,  varying  more  or  less  from 
those  few  that  we  can  definitely  establish.  It  may  be  that  the 
changes  are  only  due  to  different  manuscripts  of  the  same  version. 
Gordon  de  Percel  (I'Abb^  Lenglet-Dufresnoy),  in  1734,^  knew  a 
quarto  manuscript  of  "Giglan  fils  de  Gauvain  en  vers."  It  is  evident 
we  have  not  all  the  materials  at  hand  for  a  complete  solution  of  the 
questions  which  arise. 

It  is  important  now  to  examine  more  carefully  some  of  the  inci- 
dents which  Wig.  and  LD  have  in  common  (cf.  p.  217,  above). 
This  comparison  will,  it  is  hoped,  not  only  strengthen  the  conten- 
tion already  made  as  to  the  closeness  of  relationship  between  Wig.  and 
LD,  but  also  serve  to  correct  some  wrong  impressions  which  have 
obtained  heretofore. 

First,  then,  let  us  compare  the  first  adventure  which  each  hero  has 
after  leaving  the  court.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  both  poems 
the  messenger  chides  the  young  knight  and  does  not  hesitate  to 
express  her  disappointment. 

1.  Together,  they  approach,  however,  a  place  where  a  knight  is 
wont  to  fight  with  all  who  pass,  and  the  messenger  explains  in  LD 
that  *'  |>is  pase  kepep  a  kni^t,  fat  wi)>  ech  man  will  fijt."  (286-7.)  He 
is  an  exceedingly  good  fighter  and  is  always  victorious.  LD,  however, 
is  riot  afraid,  but  declares  that  he  will  fight  at  all  hazards.  In  Wig. 
also  the  messenger  tells  the  hero  of  a  knight,  "  des  hus  ist  hie  nahen 
bi  "  (53,  29),  whose  custom  it  is  to  fight  with  every  one  who  comes 
there.  She  advises  Wig.  to  avoid  a  fight ;  but  he  will  not  listen  to 
her. 

2.  When  this  knight  (in  both  LD  and  Wig.)  sees  them  coming,  he 
starts  for  them  straightway.     Cf.  LD,  313-4,  with  Wig.  54,  24-26. 


1  De  VUsage  des  Romans,  Amsterdam,  1734,  II,  245.  Pointed  out  by 
Bethge,  p.  7,  note  i.  Mennung's  statement  (p.  2)  that  Gordon  de  Percel 
knew  four  viattuscripls,  comes  from  a  misapprehension  of  the  phrase  "in  4. 
ntanuscrit." 

Q 

t 


226  //'.  n.   Scl  10 field. 

3.  In  LD  the  conditions  of  the  fight  are  explained  by  the  knight : 

'  Who  so  rit  her  day  ol'cr  ni5t, 
Wil'  me  he  mot  fijt 

Oper  leve  his  amies  her.''     (316  ff.) 

In  Wig.  the  situation  is  influenced  by  the  introduction  of  a  character 
istic  of  the  fight  with  the  steward  later.  Every  one  who  asks  for 
lodging  at  the  castle  must  fight  with  the  lord,  and,  if  he  wins,  he  gets 
all  his  heart  desires  ;  if  he  loses,  he  must  suffer  a  penalty.  It  is 
important  to  observe,  however,  that  the  penalty  is  as  follows  : 

•  stichet  ab  in  der  wirt  nider, 
s5  muoz  er  danne  blozer  wider 
scheiden  gar  an  sine  habe.''     (54,  7  ff.) 

In  the  corresponding  place  in  both  LD  and  BI  (the  fight  with  Lam- 
part)  defeat  will  expose  the  knight  to  the  insults  of  the  citizens,  who 
will  pelt  him  with  "  foul  fen."  In  BI,  on  the  other  hand,  in  this  first 
adventure,  there  is  no  such  condition  as  that  in  Wig.  and  LD.  We 
merely  read  that  the  little  company  comes  to  a  ford  on  the  other  side 
of  which  is  a  lodging  in  which  a  knight  "  atendoit  I'aventure  "  (329). 
Helie  sees  him  making  ready,  and  warns  BI  not  to  go  over,  "  que  tu 
ja  ne  soies  ocis  "  (373).  BI  crosses,  nevertheless,  and  is  stopped  by 
the  knight,  who  explains  : 

'  Folia  fu  del  gue  passer ; 
Je  vos  I'ferai  cier  comparer.'     (395-6.) 

The  knight  then  explains  the  situation  thus  : 

'  Avant  n'irds-vos,  sans  bataille ; 
Del  gue  passer  est  tels  Pusages ; 
Ensi  I'a  tenu  mes  lignages  ; 
Et  je  certes  plus  de  vii  ans 
Maiiites  gens  i  a  fais  dolens, 
Et  maint  bon  chevalier  de  pris 
I  ai  abatu  et  ocis.'     (414  ff.) 

There  is  thus  no  mention  of  any  penalty  for  defeat,  or  of  any  way  to 
avoid  a  fight.  The  knight's  family  has  merely  had  for  a  long  time 
the  pleasant  custom  of  killing  all  other  knights  who  passed  the  ford, 
and  he  himself  has  done  his  duty  in  the  matter  faithfully  for  seven 
years. 


Studies  on  the  Libeans  Descofiiis.  227 

It  is  clear  that  we  have  in  this  one  incident  an  important  argument 
against  the  view  that  Wirnt  knew  Renaud's  poem,  for  we  have  a 
striking  agreement  of  Wig.  with  the  Enghsh  poem  in  a  point  where 
it  varies  from  the  French  of  Renaud.  And  yet,  be  it  noted,  this 
is  the  very  passage,  and  the  only  one,  which  Mennung  picks  out 
to  prove  that  Wig.  is  taken  from  Renaud's  poem. 

Moreover,  it  is  evident  that  the  feature  of  asking  for  lodging  was 
not  originally  present  here,  but  is  introduced  from  the  later  advent- 
ure with  Lampart,  for  we  see  that  in  Wig.  the  conditions  and  situ- 
ation do  not  fit.  Wig.  does  not  ask  for  lodging  at  all.  As  in  LD, 
the  knight  sees  him  coming  and  makes  for  him. 

Er  wande  im  solde  gelingen 

als  im  ofte  e  was  getan.      (54,  29-30.) 

He  is  on  the  lookout  for  knights  who  happen  to  be  passing  and  is 
ever  ready  to  fight.  As  in  LD  also,  he  sees  LD  and  his  companions 
before  they  see  him.  How  stupid,  then,  to  have  the  fight  depend  on 
the  asking  for  lodging  !  Moreover,  the  companions  do  not  stop  after 
the  fight ;  they  continue  their  journey  as  in  LD  and  BI.  It  may  be 
noted  also  that  there  is  no  question  of  a  gue  in  LD  or  Wig. 

We  thus  see  that  Wirnt  introduces  at  the  proper  place  the  fight 
with  the  single  knight,  making  it  the  first  adventure  after  the  hero 
leaves  court ;  and  his  account,  moreover,  agrees  in  details  with  that 
given  in  LD,  and  is  opposed  to  that  in  BI.  The  opinion,  then, 
which  has  heretofore  prevailed,  that  Wirnt  omitted  this  first  incident, 
is  erroneous.  All  he  has  done  is  stupidly  to  introduce  here  a  char- 
acteristic of  a  later  incident,  and  yet  not  make  it  fit.  He  tells  the 
second  incident  in  its  proper  place,  but  is  careful  to  avoid  repeating 
himself,  as  will  be  seen  if  we  compare  the  adventure  with  the  steward 
in  Wig.  with  that  in  LD  and  BI. 

An  adventure  foreign  to  our  cycle  intervenes  between  the  sparrow- 
hawk  episode  and  that  with  which  we  have  to  deal.  Afterwards  when 
Wig.  and  the  messenger  are  riding  along  together,  the  latter  informs 
the  hero  that  they  are  near  the  city  of  her  mistress,  tells  him  of  the 
enchanter,  informs  him  how  the  distress  was  brought  about,  and 
instructs  him  how  to  perform  the  adventure.  They  soon  come 
before  the  beautiful  city  and  see  a  knight  riding  out  armed.  Wig. 
asks  who  he  is,  and  the  messenger  tells  him  that  he  is  "  truhsreze  hie  " 


228  //:   //.  Sc/iofifU. 

(103,  21).  He  and  Wig.  fight  together  on  the  plain  ;  but  the  contest 
is  undecided.  Finally  the  knight,  recognizing  the  merit  of  his  oppo- 
nent, comes  to  Wig.  and  bids  him  welcome  (104,  8),  Then  he  sees 
the  maiden  whom  his  lady  had  sent  to  Arthur  for  aid  (104,  11). 
He  welcomes  her  also,  and  all  ride  together  to  the  castle.  They  are 
joyfully  received.  The  messenger  tells  of  her  journey  and  Wig.'s 
braver}-,  and  there  is  great  rejoicing. 

In  LD  also,  whilst  LD  and  the  messenger  are  riding  along,  the 
latter  gives  the  hero  information  as  to  the  "  steward  "  or  "  constable  " 
of  the  castle  which  they  are  approaching,  and  which  belongs  to  her 
mistress.  As  in  Wig.,  after  the  fight  which  ensues  betvyeen  this  knight 
and  LD,  the  former  bids  the  latter  welcome  (i  739  ;  cf.  1 75 1 ) .  AVhen 
he  sees  the  messenger,  his  joy  is  increased,  especially  when  she  gives 
an  account  of  the  bravery  of  LD  and  his  victories  on  their  way  thither. 
Cf.  the  following  passages  of  Wig.  and  LD  (BI  is  quite  different): 

Owe,  waz  da  wart  gesaget 
maere  von  ir  reise  ! 
si  zalte  manege  freise 
die  si  von  vorhten  leit 
dd  ir  geselle  streit. 

ir  getwerc  daz  pfert  fur  si  reit 

und  fuorte  den  sitech  unt  den  hunt. 

diu  magt  begunde  meren 
dem  jungen  liter  sinen  pris  : 
si  lobte  in  manes;en  wis 


and 


er  wolde  verliesen  sinen  lip 

durch  si,  das  waer  im  gedaht.     (105,39-106,24.) 

Anon  hat  maide  Elene 
Was  fet  \\'i\>  knijtes  ten 

Before  sir  Lambard. 
Sche  and  W  dwcrj  bedene 
Telde  of  six  dedes  kene, 

pat  he  did  Mdirward, 
And  hou  Jat  sir  Libewe 
Faujt  wi)'  fele  schrewe 

And  for  no  de>  ne  spard.     (1753  fF.) 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus.  229 

Up  to  this  time  LD  has  known  nothing  definite  of  his  mission,  and, 
hke  Wig.,  he  therefore  inquires  about  it.  In  each  case  he  is  told  the 
name(s)  of  the  enchanter (s)  and  the  method  of  enchantment,  and 
vows  to  go  to  the  rescue.  We  read  also  in  Wig.  of  the  information 
given  to  the  hero  of  the  people  of  the  enchanted  city. 

'  man  hoeret  da  niwan  we  !  we  ! 
schrien  die  langen  naht. 

ez  ist  uns  ein  sweere 

daz  wir  des  niht  miigen  gesehen 

wa  von  ode  wie  ez  si  geschehen.'     (113,  S-H-) 

With  this  should  be  compared  the  information  given  to  LD. 

'  Ofte  we  herel?  her  crie, 
But  her  to  se  wib  ije, 

per  to  have  we  no  mijt.'     (1801  fif.) 

We  thus  see  that  we  have  here  in  Wig.  the  fight  with  the  steward 
in  its  proper  place.  The  feature  as  to  the  conditions  for  obtain- 
ing lodging,  being  told  before,  is  of  course  not  repeated.  The 
agreements  with  LD,  as  opposed  to  BI,  are  again  remarkable.  We 
have  in  both,  for  example,  the  bidding  the  hero  welcome,  the  joy  of 
the  people,  the  recounting  by  the  messenger  and  the  dwarf  of  the 
knight's  brave  deeds  on  the  way,  his  willingness  to  risk  his  life,  his 
being  told  the  name(s)  of  the  enchanter(s)  before  he  enters  the  city, 
and  the  information  given  him  at  the  castle  that  they  can  hear  the 
cries  of  the  people  of  the  enchanted  city,  whom  they  cannot  see. 

It  is  interesting  now  to  see  what  Mennung  has  to  say  about  these 
two  adventures,  for  they  play  an  important  part  in  his  argument.  He 
is  of  the  opinion  that  Wirnt  did  not  include  in  Wig.  any  incident 
parallel  to  that  with  the  first  knight  in  LD  and  BI,  but  that  he  related 
"ein  und  dasselbe  Abenteuer"  (viz.,  that  with  the  steward)  twice. 
The  reason  for  this  repetition,  he  thinks,  is  easily  seen.  "  Auf  der 
einen  Seite  folgte  er  der  korrekten  schriftlichen  Vorlage,  und  daher 
die  genaue  Uebereinstimmung  der  mitgeteilten  Textstlicke,  auf  der 
andern  hingegen  den  dunkeln  Reminiscenzen  des  Knappen,  der  das 
Abenteuer  derartig  vortrug,  dass  Wirnt  die  Identitat  beider  Quellen 
nicht  erkannte.  Dass  dieser  Irrtum  eintreten  konnte,  lag  einesteils 
daran,  dass  der  Knappe  weiter  nichts  mehr  wusste,  als  dass  Guinglain 


230  ■  J/'.  //.   Sc/iojicld. 

mit  dem  Truchsess  der  zu  erlosenden  Jungfrau  gekampft,  andernteils 
aber  auch,  dass  der  Stand  dieses  Gegners  in  der  schriftlichen  Vorlage 
erst  ganz  spat  nach  dem  Kanipfe  genannt  wird.  Brach  die  Vorlage 
vorher  ab,  so  konnte  Wirnt  nicht  wissen,  dass  es  sich  in  beiden 
Berichten  urn  ein  und  dieselbe  Person  des  Seneschalls  oder  Truch- 
sesses  handelte.  Dieser  bedeutungsvollc  Irrtum  spricht  nach  meiner 
Ansicht  sehr  fiir  die  Benutzung  zweier  verschiedenen  Quellen." 
(P-6i.) 

How  unfortunate  this  ingenious  explanation  is,  will  surely  be 
apparent  to  all.  In  disproof  of  Mennung's  last  conjecture  we  may  note 
that  the  position  of  the  hero's  opponent  in  LD  is  told  before  LD 
goes  to  the  castle.  LD  inquires  about  the  castle  in  the  distance,  and 
Elene  tells  him  that  no  knight  can  get  lodging  there 

'  For  doute  of  a  stiward, 
pat  men  clepel'  sir  Lambard, 

Constable  of  Jns  castell.'     (1576  ff.) 

And  we  remember  that  Wirnt  is  following  a  version  very  near  this  and 
very  unlike  BI.  Moreover,  a  comparison  of  LD  and  BI  shows  that 
in  the  former  the  characters  are  almost  always  named  when  they 
appear  first,  while  Renaud  repeatedly  makes  the  mistake  of  not  tell- 
ing their  names  until  long  after,  in  some  cases  not  until  they  are  to 
be  dismissed  from  the  narrative.  (E.g.,  H^lie,  Tidogolain,  Orguillous 
de  la  Lande,  Margerie,  Giflet  li  fius  Do,  Malgier,  Mabon  and  Eurain.) 
4.  I  should  like  also  to  call  particular  attention  to  the  agreements 
bet\veen  Wig.  and  LD,  as  opposed  to  BI,  in  the  adventure  with  the 
dog.     To  this  end  compare  the  following  passages  : 

an  der  selben  stunde 

lief  vor  in  ein  brakelin, 

daz  niht  schoeners  mohte  sin. 

daz  was  blanc  iiber  al : 

niwan  ein  ore  was  im  val, 

daz  ander  rot  alsam  ein  bluet. 

des  wart  diu  maget  wol  gerauot : 

wande  si  des  selbe  jach 

daz  si  nie  deheinez  gesach 

daz  ir  z'ihte  masre 

wider  daz  selbe  waere. 


and 


Studies  on  the  Libeatis  Desconus.  231 

des  wart  der  riter  harte  vro. 

daz  hundelin  vienger  do 

und  leit  ez  fiir  si  I'lf  ir  kleit. 

des  wart  diu  maget  vil  gemeit, 

mit  grozen  frouden  si  do  reit.     (60,  23  flf.) 

As  hey  ride  talkinge, 

pey  si§e  a  rach  come  flinge 

Overl'wert  ^e  way. 
pan  seiden  eld  and  ainge, 
From  her  ferst  ginninge 

fey  ne  sije  never  non  so  gay. 
He  was  of  all  colours 
pat  man  may  sen  of  flours 

Betwene  midsomer  and  may. 
pe  maide  saide  also  snell : 
<  Ne  si§  I  never  no  juell 

So  likinge  to  my  pay. 
God  wold,  hat  I  him  au^te ! ' 
Libeans  anoon  him  cau§te 

And  jaf  him  to  maide  Elene. 
pey  ride  forJ>  all  sau^t 
And  telde,  hou  kniates  faujt 

For  ladies  bri^t  and  schene.     (1069  fF.) 

With  this  ending  cf.  also 

Die  straze  riten  si  als  e. 

ir  frbude  was  d6  michels  me 

denne  ir  da  vor  wasre. 

Mit  manegem  guoten  maere 

vertriben  si  die  selben  zit.     (62,  16  fF.) 

In  BI  the  whole  of  this  episode  is  changed,  and  certainly  for  the 
worse.  We  must,  however,  say  that  BI  shows  some  likeness  to  Wig. 
in  a  place  where  the  author  of  LD  is  in  no  way  opposed,  but  con- 
tents himself  with  generalities.     The  dog  is  thus  described  in  BI : 

Plus  estoit  blans  que  nulle  nois ; 
Orelles  noires  comme  pois, 
(Celi  qui  fu  au  les  senestre ;) 
De  Tautre  part,  sor  le  flanc  destre, 
Ot  une  tace  tote  noire.     (1275  ff.) 


232  jr.  //.   Sc/iofi'U. 

This  agreement  is  not  by  any  means  exact  enough  to  warrant  us  in 
assuming  translation  ;  and  LD  hints  at  the  same  features  clearly.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  will  be  remembered  that  in  BI  H^lie  herself  alights 
and  catches  the  dog,  being  able  to  do  so  because  it  has  a  thorn  in 
its  foot,  etc. 

In  Wig.  and  LD  they  ride  on  ;  but  soon  the  owner  appears  and 
demands  his  dog.  When  it  is  refused,  he  begins  to  threaten ;  but 
the  hero  is  defiant.     Cf. 

Er  sprach  :  '  Wie  getorst  ir  ie 
gevahen  minen  schoenen  hunt? 
heizt  in  lazen  an  dirre  stunt 
balde  uf  die  straze  nider, 
ode  irn  kumet  niemer  wider 
mit  deheinen  iuwern  eren, 
und  miiezet  wider  keren 
mit  ungesundem  libe.' 
'  diu  rede  zasm  einem  wibe ' 
sprach  her  Wigalois  der  degen. 

'  swaz  ab  uns  da  von  geschiht, 
wirn  geben  iu  des  hundes  niht 
durch  boese  rede  noch  durch  dro.''     (6l,  24-62,  3.) 
and 

'Frendes,  leteb  him  go!' 
Libeaus  answerde  \>o : 

'  pat  schall  never  betide  ! ' 

Quo>  sir  Otes  de  Lile  : 

*  pou  puttest  he  in  greet  perUe, 

Biker  jef  hou  abide.' 
Libeaus  seide  :  '  Be  seint  Gile! 
I  ne  jeve  nou?t  of  \>y  gile, 

Cherl,  J)au5  )'0U  chide.' 

'  per  of  do  Vy  best 

pis  rach  wih  me  schall  wende!'     (i  105-31.) 

We  need  not  enter  into  the  variations  in  BL  Suffice  it  to  remember 
that  BI  even  pleads  with  H^lie  to  give  the  dog  back. 


Studies  on  the  Li  beans  Desconus.  233 

In  LD  after  this  adventure  we  read  : 

Libeaus  rod  many  a  mile 
And  sij  aventurs  file 

In  Irland  and  in  Wales.     (1300  fF.) 
With  this  cf. 

Mit  frouden  riten  si  do  dan, 

der  getwerc  einez  in  began 

sagen  schoeniu  meere, 

wer  sin  lierre  waere 

der  in  dar  het  gesant, 

und  wie  ez  stuende  in  Irlant.     (87,  22  fT.) 

The  passage  in  LD  is  hard  to  understand.  How  could  LD  ride 
about  at  this  time,  and  see  terrible  adventures  in  Ireland  and 
Wales?  The  idea  is  preposterous.  The  passage  is  probably  due 
to  a  misunderstanding  of  the  original,  which  we  may  suppose  was 
somewhat  like  the  passage  in  Wig.  just  given.  It  is  well  to  observe, 
at  any  rate,  that  there  is  no  passage  in  BI  in  which  Ireland  is  men- 
tioned in  this  way.  In  fact,  the  name  occurs  only  twice  in  the  poem, 
in  both  cases  merely  as  the  name  of  the  land  from  which  come  two 
kings  mentioned  as  taking  part  in  the  tournament. 

There  is  surely  no  need  to  continue  the  discussion.  It  must  now 
be  clear  (i)  that  Wirnt  in  writing  Wigalois  had  no  knowledge  of 
_Renaud's  poem,  and  (2)  that  thefojrm  of  the  story  told  to  Wirnt  by 
his  squire  (i.e.  what  we  have  called  "  the  Desc.  part "  of  Wig.)  was 
drawn  either  from  the  common  source  of  LD  and  BI,  or  from  some 
form  closely  allied  to  it. 

This  theory  will  be  seen  to  differ  in  almost  every  particular  from  that 
of  Mebes.  It  is  also  very  dissimilar  to  Bethge's  view.  Bethge  first 
placed,'  as  he  thought,  "  iiber  jeden  zweifel "  the  opinion  that  "  kein 
andres  werk  als  der  BI  Renaulds  de  Beaujeu  die  quelle  Wirnts 
gewesen  sein  kann  "  (p.  77).  He  then  declared  (p.  77)  :  "Wirnt 
hat  nicht  das  franzosische  gedicht  selbst  gekant  oder  gar  wie  herr  dr. 
Mebes  wahnte  teilweise  in  einer  handschrift  vor  sich  gehabt,  sondern 
er  folgte  wie  er  selbst  angibt  der  einmaligen  miindlichen  erzahlung 


1  Wirnt  von  Gravenberg,  eine  literarhislorische  Untersiichimg,  Berlin,  1881. 
See  the  disparaging  review  by  Rhode  in  Engl.  Studien,  VII,  150  ff. ;  and  cf.  Paris, 
Hist.  Lilt.,  XXX,  187,  n.  i;   Kaluza,  Einl.,  p.  cxxxii. 


234  n:  //.  Sc/iofu-id. 

eines  knappen  die  von  anf^xng  an  ungenau  war  und  gegen  das  ende 
hin  immer  liickenhafter  und  verworrener  wurde.  Die  abweichungen 
des  deutschen  gedichts  von  dem  franzosischen  beruhen  zuva  teil  auf 
vergesslichkeiten  teils  des  dichters  teils  seines  gewahrsmannes  zum 
teil  aber  audi  auf  absichtlichen  veranderungen,  auslassungen  und 
zusatzen  Wirnts." 

Bethge,  then,  holds  that  the  squire's  story  (which,  in  his  opinion, 
was  derived  from  BI ')  was  confused  and  defective,  especially  toward 
the  end,  and  that  Wirnt  himself  did  not  remember  well  what  the 
squire  told  him.  The  variation  in  the  catastrophe  of  Wig.  (including 
the  omission  of  ihtfier  baiser)  he  ascribes  to  lapses  of  memory  on  the 
squire's  part.'  The  fee  episode  he  supposes  was  omitted  by  Wirnt  on 
moral  grounds.  My  opinion,  on  the  contr^y,  is  that  Wirnt  followed 
the  squire's  story  more  or  less  closely  until  he  reached  the  catastro- 
phe, viz.,  the  disenchantment  of  the  princess,^  but  that  at  this  point 
he  decided  to  lengthen  the  narrative  according  to  his  own  fancy. 
He  therefore  foisted  in  various  incidents  taken  from  various  sources 
or  drawn  from  his  own  imagination,  and  postponed  the  catastrophe 
until  he  had  thus  conducted  the  hero  through  a  series  of  discon- 
nected adventures.  He  then  wound  up  the  story  proper  in  a  way 
which    resembled    remotely    the    conclusion    of   his    original,*    and 


1  It  is  true  Bethge  says  (p.  17)  :  "  dass  der  knappe  eine  altera  franzosische  bear- 
beitung  kante  ist  ganz  sicher  zu  widerlegen;  eine  solche  hat  es  niemals  gegeben  "; 
and  again  (p.  19)  :  "  nirgend  vor  Renauld  de  Beaujeu  wird  von  Guinglain  oder 
Libiaus  gesagt  oder  gesungen";  but  these  opinions  are  plainly  erroneous.  Rhode 
QEfigl.  Studien,  VII,  150  f.)  advances  the  argument  that  if  Renaud's  poem  had 
been  the  first  on  the  subject  it  must  have  jumped  into  remarkable  popularity  all  at 
once,  to  have  been  worked  over  after  so  very  short  a  time  by  the  German  poet. 

2  Bethge,  like  Mebes,  supposes  that  most  of  the  additions  in  the  non-Desc. 
part  of  Wig.  were  made  by  Wirnt  rather  than  by  the  squire,  but  he  ascribes  a 
considerable  activity  in  this  regard  to  the  latter  also  (p.  51).  The  additions  were, 
he  thinks,  in  great  part  made  to  fill  up  gaps  in  the  squire's  imperfect  story. 

3  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  my  opinion  the  squire  was  not  following 
Renaud's  poem,  and  that  therefore  the  return  visit  to  the  lie  d'Or,  the  tourna- 
ment, and  the  rest  of  Renaud's  additions  were  unknown  to  him,  and  consequently 
to  Wirnt.  Bethge  did  not  learn  of  the  existence  of  Car.  until  he  had  finished  his 
essay,  nor  does  he  give  any  evidence  of  having  carefully  compared  LD  with  BI. 

*  Bethge's  idea  that  the  variation  at  this  point  is  due  to  the  squire's  weak 
memory  is  peculiarly  improbable.  The  incident  of  the  Jier  baiser  is  certainly  too 
striking  to  have  been  forgotten  either  by  the  squire  or  his  master. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaiis  Desconus.  235 

inserted  a  long  adventure  after  the  narrative  had  really  come  to 
an  end. 

If  the  conclusion  at  which  we  have  arrived  as  to  Wirnt's  source  is 
correct,  the  agreements  of  Wig.  with  BI  as  opposed  to  LD,  and  with 
LD  as  opposed  to  BI,  are  accounted  for,  and  Wig.  becomes  an  im- 
portant factor  in  determining  what  were  probably  the  features  in 
Version  B.  We  must  ascribe  to  Version  B  at  least  two  important 
features  in  which  Wig.  agrees  with  BI  and  is  unlike  LD,  viz.,  the 
messenger's  leaving  the  court  without  the  young  knight  (p.  158, 
above),  and  the  meeting  with  the  young  woman  which  leads  to  the 
sparrow-hawk  adventure  (p.  165,  above).  Moreover,  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  the  squire's  story  included  a  short  introduction  telling  of 
the  youth  of  the  hero,  and  that  Wirnt  amplified  this  by  means  of 
another  story  with  which  he  was  familiar.  Bethge,  of  course,  con- 
siders the  introduction  in  Wig.  to  be  entirely  an  addition  made  by 
Wirnt,  inasmuch  as  Renaud's  poem  (the  only  Desc.  story,  according 
to  Bethge,  which  the  squire  could  have  known)  contains  nothing  that 
could  have  suggested  it.^ 

We  must  now  give  some  account  of  the  part  of  Wig.  which  precedes 
the  boy's  reception  at  court. 

After  a  long  introduction,  in  which  Wirnt  tells  us  his  name  and 
somewhat  of  himself  (1-144),  he  opens  the  narrative  by  a  description 
of  Arthur  and  his  glorious  residence  at  Karidol  (145-247).  The  king 
had  a  custom  not  to  sit  down  to  meat  until  he  had  had  some  advent- 
ure.^ Once  it  was  past  midday  before  any  offered  itself.  An  un- 
known red  knight  rides  up  and  begs  the  queen  to  accept  a  beautiful 
girdle  with  magic  powers,^  which  he  reaches  up  on  a  spear  to  her ;  if 
not,  to  choose  a  knight  to  fight  with  him.  On  Gawein's  advice  she 
returns  it  in  the  morning,  and  the  stranger  rides  off  to  the  plain  to 
await  adventure  (248-435).  One  after  another  the  knights  are  con- 
quered, and  finally  even  Gawein  has  to  yield  (436-61 8).     He  goes 


1  Mebes  also  seems  to  ascribe  the  introduction  to  Wirnt,  but  he  is  confused  on 
this  point  (see  p.  209,  above). 

2  On  this  common  feature  of  the  Arthur  poems,  see  Child,  Ballads,  Part  II, 
p.  257,  note  %.  Cf.  Loseth,  Tristan,  p.  280;  Freymond,  Zt.  f.  fr.  Sp.  u.  I.itt., 
XVII,  46,  etc. 

^  Cf.  Cuchulinn's  girdle,  theories  as  to  the  connection  of  which  with  Siegfried's 
invulnerability  may  be  seen  in  Zimmer,  Haupt's  Zeiischrift,  XXXII,  319. 


236  JV.  II.   Schofidd. 

with  the  unknown  knight  to  the  latter's  land,  being  given  the  magic 
girdle  whilst  they  are  on  their  journey.  He  is  well  received  by  the 
king  and  queen,  and  by  their  wonderfully  beautiful  niece,  whom  it 
takes  over  five  pages  to  describe  (619-950).  Gawein  is  in  raptures 
when  the  king  tells  him  he  may  have  her  to  wife.  They  are  married 
and  live  together  happily.  Gawein  becomes  famous  in  the  land  ;  but 
after  half  a  year  longs  to  see  his  old  companions.  He  leaves  his  wife 
sorrowful,  although  he  promises  to  be  but  a  very  short  time  away,  and 
in  twelve  days  is  at  Karidol.  His  coming  causes  great  joy.  Soon, 
however,  he  decides  to  return,  and  leaves  the  court  secretly.  As  he 
has  left  the  magic  girdle  behind  with  his  wife  (instructing  her  that  if 
anything  happens  to  him,  it  shall  be  given  to  his  child,  if  a  son),  he 
cannot  find  his  home  again,  and  after  a  year's  vain  searching  goes 
back  to  Arthur  (951-1220).  Meanwhile  his  wife,  Florie,  has  given 
birth  to  a  son,^  to  whose  training  she  gives  her  most  assiduous  atten- 
tion, with  the  result  that  all  love  and  honor  the  boy  for  his  virtue  and 
powers.  He  is  told  of  the  bravery  of  his  father,  and  determines  to  go 
in  search  of  him.  His  mother  tries  to  dissuade  him,  but  finally  tells 
him  more  of  his  father  and  gives  him  the  girdle.  He  takes  leave  of 
her  in  sorrow  (1221-1410).  On  his  way  he  meets  a  messenger  sent 
by  Arthur  to  summon  knights  to  a  tournament  at  which  three  thou- 
sand are  to  be  present.  The  boy  is  shown  the  way  to  the  court,  and 
finds  a  great  celebration  going  on  (1411-1475).  Beside  a  linden  he 
sees  a  beautiful  variegated  stone,  which  has  such  powers  that  no  one 
can  touch  it  unless  he  is  without  sin.^  He  ties  his  horse  to  a  bough 
and  sits  down  on  the  stone.  Nobody  at  court  can  do  this  but  x\rthur, 
not  even  Gawein.     News  of  this  marvel  is  at  once  brought  to  Arthur, 


^  Wirnt  is  not  alone  in  making  Gawein  marry  a  beautiful  princess  Florie,  and 
have  by  her  a  distinguished  son.  This  is  the  case  in  Version  P  of  the  Livre 
d'Arius,  which  has  just  been  made  accessible  by  Freymond.  Floree  is  there  the 
daughter  of  King  Alain  of  Escavalon,  and  before  the  birth  of  her  son  it  was 
prophesied  by  Merlin  that  he  should  become  a  brave  knight  of  the  Round  Table. 
As  the  editor  says  (p.  50,  note  2),  "  Eine  ganze  Reihe  von  Punkten  in  unserem 
Text  erinnern,  was  ich  hier  nicht  weiter  ausfiihren  will,  an  ahnliches  in  den  ver- 
schiedenen  Versionen  des  Guinglain."  A  number  of  these  will  be  found  noted  in 
their  proper  places. 

2  On  this  feature  see  Child,  Ballads,  Part  II,  257  ff.,  especially  269,  note  J; 
also  IV,  502 J  VI,  503;  VIII,  454;  IX,  212.     See  also  Bethge,  p.  44. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Descomis.  237 

who  starts  off  with  the  ladies  and  knights  to  verify  the  report.  The 
boy  is  given  a  hearty  welcome  by  the  king  and  queen.  Arthur  asks 
him  what  he  wishes  and  who  he  is.  He  replies  that  he  cannot  tell 
who  his  father  is.  (In  Car.  also  he  knows  his  father's  name,  but  con- 
ceals it.)  He  gives  his  name  as  Gwi  von  Galois,  and  makes  his 
request : 

'  mit  minem  dienest  wold  ich 

erwerben  des  ich  ie  han  gegert : 

ob  ich  der  eren  wsre  wert 

daz  ich  riter  wurde  hie.' 

His  request  is  granted  ;  he  is  given  over  to  Gawein  for  instruction  ;  a 
feast  is  made  in  his  honor  when  he  is  knighted,  after  which  Arthur 
distributes  presents  freely  to  his  guests  (1475-1716).  At  the  next 
solstice,  when  they  are  again  at  table,  the  messenger  and  the  dwarf 
appear. 

The  introductory  part  in  LD  is  told  very  briefly.  In  BI  it  is  omitted 
altogether.  It  is  therefore  likely  that  the  author  of  Version  A,  know- 
ing that  this  part  of  his  story  was  familiar  to  his  hearers  or  readers, 
passed  over  it  lightly,  merely  outlining  the  story,  and  hastening  on  to 
the  part  which  he  was  to  develope  in  a  new  way.  In  Car.,  as  I  have 
pointed  out,  the  author  reverted  to  the  story  of  Perceval's  youth  as  he 
found  it  in  a  late  prose  account ;  ^  in  Wig.  to  some  other  story  of  a 
young  knight  coming  unknown  to  Arthur's  court,  and  later  performing 
wonderful  feats.  This  story  Wirnt  probably  treated  freely,  as  he  did 
the  rest  of  his  material. 

We  have,  for  example,  in  Meriaduec  or  Li  Chevaliers  as  deus 
Espees  ^  some  features  in  common  with  the  introductory  part  of  Wig. 
and  with  later  incidents  in  the  other  poems  of  our  cycle.  The  fol- 
lowing resemblances  to  Wig.  are  noteworthy  : 

(i)  Mer.  opens  with  a  description  of  a  great  feast  at  Arthur's  court 
at  Cardueil,  where  all  the  knights  are  gathered.  (2)  The  king  is 
worried  because  no  adventure  has  yet  offered  itself,  and  it  is  time  to 
begin  the  feasting.  (3)  A  stranger  comes  to  the  court  in  possession 
of  a  wonderful  girdle  and  sword.  (4)  All  the  knights  in  turn  try  to 
perform  the  task  she  assigns ;  but  one  after  another  they  are  baffled. 
(5)  A  boy,  who  has  been  in  Gawein's  charge  and  is  not  twenty- 


1  Cf.  Paris,  Hist.  ,Litt.,  XXX,  239,  note  i.        2  See  Hist.  Liit.,  XXX,  237  ff. 


238  U:  //.   Si/tojicld. 

two  years  of  age,  comes  to  Arthur  and  begs  to  be  made  a  knight. 
(6)  All  marvel  at  his  beauty  and  courageous  appearance.  (7)  He 
is  knighted  with  due  religious  ceremonies,  and  provided  with  the 
best  of  armor. 

^ft'r.  also  presents  the  following  points  of  resemblance  to  LD  and 
BI :  (i)  A  young  woman  and  a  dwarf  come  to  the  court.  The  for- 
mer makes  Arthur  accede  to  an  undefined  request  before  she  will 
dismount.  (2)  A  repast  is  made  ready.  (3)  The  young  knight  begs 
to  be  allowed  to  undertake  the  adventure  she  has  proposed.  All  are 
surprised  at  his  temerity ;  but  the  king  accedes  to  his  request. 
(4)  This  boy  knows  neither  who  was  his  father  nor  what  his  own 
name  is,  and  is  known  at  court  merely  as  le  biel  vallet,  the  only  name 
by  which  his  mother  had  called  him.  He  has  been  brought  up  by 
his  mother  in  ignorance  of  his  parentage,  and  has  received  no  definite 
name.  (5)  The  young  knight  rides  in  quest  of  adventure.  Every- 
where he  is  victorious,  and  his  fame  reaches  Arthur's  court,  whither  he 
sends  those  whom  he  conquers  to  promise  submission,  and  say  they 
were  sent  by  the  chevalier  as  deus  espees,  the  name  first  given  him  at 
court.  Amongst  his  adventures  are  :  {a)  his  assisting  a  woman  in 
distress,  whom  he  meets  in  a  forest  lamenting  the  death  of  her  lover 
(7770  ff.)  ;  {b)  his  forcing  Gerflet  li  fius  Do  to  go  to  Arthur  (8739)  ; 
(r)  his  conquering  a  red  knight  du  val  Ferilleus,  who  is  Arthur's 
avowed  enemy  (10918).  But  it  should  especially  be  noted  that  in 
this  poem  (6)  Gawein  frees  a  beautiful  young  lady  from  the  necessity 
of  marrying  a  knight  whose  offer  she  has  refused  and  who  has  therefore 
besieged  her.  The  time  is  just  about  come  when  she  must  give  in. 
Gawein  succeeds  in  his  fight  with  the  knight,  and  sticks  his  opponent's 
head  up  on  a  pole  with  those  of  forty-four  other  knights  whom  the 
latter  has  conquered.  There  is  great  joy  in  the  castle  when  the  people 
see  themselves  freed.  After  a  rich  meal,  Gawein  betakes  himself  to 
bed.  The  mother  brings  her  daughter  to  the  room  and  gives  her 
over  to  him.  After  a  part  of  the  night  spent  in  embraces,  Gawein 
will  fulfil  his  further  wishes,  but  is  prevented  by  the  young  woman's 
withdrawal.  (Cf.  Peredur.)  (7)  It  is  at  the  wish  of  the  king  that 
M^r.  marries  the  beautiful  queen  of  Caradigan,  whom  he  loves. 
There  is  a  great  celebration  and  feast  at  their  wedding.  They  then 
leave  the  court  for  Caradigan,  \vhere  M^r.  is  made  king.  The  lady 
is  called  Lore  (cf.  Larie),  and  bears  M^r.  children. 


SUidies  on  the  Libeaus  Descomis.  239 


THE   FRENCH   PROSE   REDACTION. 

The  French  prose  redaction  of  BI  made  by  Claude  Platin,  is 
known  to  me  only  from  the  analysis  of  the  Comte  de  Tressan/  and 
from  the  account  of  it  given  by  Paris.^  Platin  professes  to  have 
translated  from  a  Spanish  poem ;  but,  according  to  Paris,  this  state- 
ment must  be  understood  as  referring  to  that  part  of  his  work  which 
is  taken  from  the  Provencal yh:z//;r'  (Platin  having  mistaken  Provencal 
for  Spanish).^  The  only  source  admitted  by  Paris  for  the  Desc.  part 
of  Platin's  version  is  Renaud,  and,  Paris  tells  us,  he  follows  his 
original  in  general  pretty  faithfully.  The  analysis  of  the  Comte  de 
Tressan,  however,  has  "  inexactitude  et  les  enjolivements  qui  carac- 
t^risent  les  '  extraits  '  de  ce  galant  vulgarisateur." 

To  Tressan,  then,  we  infer,  must  be  due  the  remarkable  form  of 
the  story  in  the  "  extrait,"  —  the  entire  omission  of  Xkit  fier  baiser, 
the  match-making  of  Queen  Guinovere,  the  death  of  the  fee  de  la 
Blanchevalee  (as  the  lady  of  the  He  d'Or  is  called)  from  sorrow  at 
Giglan's  inconstancy,  the  introduction  of  episodes  foreign  to  our 
cycle,  such  as  the  fight  between  Gawain  and  his  son,  and  the  like. 
We  infer  also  that  the  boy's  bringing  up  "dans  un  lieu  desert  et 
^loign^  du  commerce  des  hommes  "  was  introduced,  say  from  the 
Perceval,  by  the  Comte  de  Tressan;  and  that  the  account  of  his 
coming  to  court,  begging  a  boon  of  Arthur,  etc.,  was  shifted  by  him 
from  the  Desc.  part  to  that  devoted  to  Geoffroy  de  Mayence. 

[Just  in  time  to  be  noted  here  a  communication  from  the  author, 
now  in  Paris,  has  been  received,  in  which  he  gives  additional  details 
about  the  contents  of  Platin's  work.  He  has  examined  two  editions 
of  it  in  the  Bibliothcque  Nationale,  one  lacking  the  last  page,  the 
other  dated  1539  and  published  at  Lyons,  not,  however,  by  Claude 
Nourry,  but  by  Hilles  et  Jaques  Huguetan  freres.  "  The  analysis  of 
the  Comte  de  Tressan,"  writes  Dr.  Schofield,  "  bears  little  likeness 
to  the  romance  itself,  and  a  careful  reading  of  the  latter  shows  that  on 
the  whole  Claude's  redaction  follows  Renaud's  poem  very  closely." 
There  is  not  space  here  to  note  differences  in  details.  —  £(ls.'\ 


1  Bibl.  univ.  des  Romans,  October,  1777,  pp.  59  T- 

2  Rom.,  XV,  22-24;  also  Hist.  Lilt.,  XXX,  196-199. 

8  Cf.  Grasse,  Die  grossen  Sagenkreise  des  Mittelalters,  1842,  p.  225. 


240  J/'.   //.    Schofichi. 


WOLFRAM'S   PARZIVAL. 

The  bearing  of  the  results  of  the  present  investigation^  on  the 
important  problems  in  connection  with  Wolfram's  Parzival  and  the 
Grail  stories  in  general  is  obvious,  I  refrain  from  entering  into  these 
questions  now  because  they  do  not  affect  my  conclusions  in  the  more 
definite  problems  with  which  we  are  dealing,  and  because  I  hope 
before  long  to  publish  a  careful  examination  of  the  whole  matter.  I 
shall  only  say  now  that  in  those  poems  which  seem  to  depend  on 
Chretien,  the  young  knight,  when  he  comes  to  court,  rides  abruptly 
before  the  king  and  makes  his  rough  demand ;  while  Wolfram  agrees 
with  LD,  Car.,  and  Wig.  in  that  the  boy  first  salutes  the  king  and  his 
courtiers  suitably  and  then  proffers  his  request.  We  have,  moreover, 
in  Wolfram  an  adventure  which  is  remarkably  like  two  episodes  found 
in  LD  only.  Parziv^al  goes  to  a  castle,  where  he  is  well  treated,  and 
his  wounds  received  in  a  recent  fight  are  attended  to.  Fine  apparel 
is  given  him.  The  knight  of  the  castle  offers  him  the  hand  of  his 
only  daughter,  and  his  lands  after  him  ;  but  Parzival  is  unwilling  to 
marry,  and,  after  a  stay  of  a  fortnight,  rides  away. 

In  LD  after  the  fight  with  the  giants,  LD  goes  to  the  home  of  the 
rescued  maiden,  where  he  receives  rich  apparel.  The  knight  offers 
him  the  hand  of  his  only  daughter,  and  his  lands  after  him ;  but  he 
replies  that  "nougt  wive  get  I  ne  may"  (741),  and  leaves  them. 
After  the  fight  with  Sir  Otes  he  goes  to  the  knight's  castle,  where  he 
is  well  received. 

He  dede  him  helen  his  wounde, 
>at  he  was  hoi  and  sounde 

Be  )>e  fourtenijt  ende.     (1279  fF.) 

Then  the  hero  takes  his  departure.  These  two  episodes  united  pre- 
sent all  the  features  of  the  account  in  Wolfram.  It  is  curious  to  note 
also  that  the  knight  in  LD  who  offers  his  daughter's  hand  to  LD  is 
there,  and  there  alone,  called  Antore,  and  the  only  name  I  have 
noticed  in  any  of  the  Perc.  stories  at  all  like  this  is  Antanor,  which 


1  See  also  Mennung,  p.  40. 


Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconns.  241 

is  in  Wolfram,  iii,  1099.     We  may  add  also  that  Parzival,  when  asked 
his  name,  replies  as  follows : 

'  bon  fiz,  schier  fiz,  bM  fiz,  ^ 
alsus  hat  mich  genennet 
der  mich  da  heime  erkennet ; '     (iii,  722  ff.) 

and  that  when  he  first  goes  to  court  all  marvel  at  his  beauty.     One 
knight,  for  example,  exclaims  : 

*  owol  der  muoter  diu  dich  bar  ! 
i'ne  gesacli  nie  lip  so  wol  gevar.'     (iii,  903-4.) 

LATER   HISTORY   OF  THE   ENGLISH   ROMANCE. 

The  English  romance  was  undoubtedly  very  popular,  as  is  evident 
from  the  number  of  references  made  to  it  in  later  works.  It  was 
a  doubtful  honor  to  have  it  included  by  Chaucer  in  Sir  Thopas  as 
one  of  the  ''romances  of  prys,"  but  still  this  shows  how  well  it 
was  known.  In  The  Squyr  of  Lowe  Degree,  as  Kaluza  points  out 
(p.  clxiv  ff.),  our  hero  is  mentioned,  attention  is  directed  to  a  specific 
scene  in  LD,  and  an  extract  given  from  the  poem.^  The  name  of 
the  hero  is  also  mentioned  in  The  Carle  of  Carlile^  and,  as  Ritson 
notes.  III,  253,''  by  Skelton  and  Henry  Crosse.^  Professor  Kittredge 
calls  my  attention  to  the  following  passage  in  the  Weddynge  of  Syr 

Gawene :  ^ 

Syr  Gawen  gat  on  her  Gyngolyn, 

That  was  a  good  knyght  of  strength  and  kynn, 

And  of  the  Table  Round. 


1  In  Wolfram,  ix,  1225,  we  also  have  a  Lybbeah,  one  of  the  Grail  knights,  who, 
curiously  enough,  comes  from  the  land  of  Prienlascors,  which  is  said  to  be  from 
the  Prov.  priendre  las  cortz,  and  to  mean  "  der  die  Hofe  der  Fiirsten  aufsucht " 
(Bartsch,  Germanistische  Studien,  II,  149). 

2  See  vv.  78,  611-632;  HazHtt,  Early  Popular  Poetry,  II,  26,  46-47;  Ritson, 
Anc.  Engleish  Metrical  Romancees,  III,  148,  1 70-1 71. 

3  Ed.  Madden  (in  Syr  Gawayne,  p.  188),  v.  55;  ed.  Hales  and  Furnivall, 
Percys  Folio  Matiuscript^  III,  278,  v.  33. 

*  Phyllyp  Sparowe,  649-650. 

^  Vertues  Common  wealth  or  the  Iliglnvay  to  Honour,  1600.  Cf.  Hales  and 
Furnivall,  II,  414. 

•^  Vv.  800  ff.  (Madden,  Syr  Gawayne,  p.  298  jt). 
K 


243  Jr.  11.  Schofidd. 

There  is  still  another  interesting  reference  to  our  hero  in  the  inter- 
lude Thersites'^  written  by  an  unknown  author,  and  acted  in  1537. 
Thersites  boastfully  challenges  the  knights  of  the  Round  Table  : 

'Where  arte  thou  Gawyn  the  curtesse  and  Cay  the  crabed? 
Here  be  a  couple  of  knightes  cowardishe  and  scabbed  ! 
Apere  in  thy  likenesse  Syr  Libeus  Disconius, 
Yf  thou  wilt  liave  my  clubbe  lyghte  on  thy  hedibus.'' 

I  should  like  also  to  call  attention  to  the  f^ict  that  an  incident  in 
LD  (viz.,  the  fight  of  the  hero  with  the  heathen  giant  Maugis,  who 
had  beset  the  lady  of  the  He  d'Or,  132 1  {{.^,  is,  it  seems,  clearly  pre- 
served in  the  semi-historical  ballad  of  The  Earl  of  Westmoreland, 
sts.  54  ff.'  In  both  poems:  (i)  A  Christian  knight  comes  from  a 
distance  to  a  place  where  the  people  are  all  in  fear  of  a  heathen 
warrior.  (2)  The  land  is  ruled  by  a  woman,  and  none  of  her  fol- 
lowing dares  oppose  the  heathen.  (3)  The  knight  determines  to 
meet  the  giant,  and  his  determination  causes  joy  among  the  people, 
whose  sympathies  are  all  with  him.  (4)  The  giant  is  "  both  fowle 
and  uglye  for  to  see."  (5)  When  he  sees  the  young  knight  approach 
he  greets  him  with  derision,  for  he  thinks  him  no  match.  (6)  In  LD 
(and  this  is  important)  the  hero  is  a  child,  and  in  the  ballad  he  has 
a  child's  voice.  (7)  He  replies,  however,  that  he  is  ready  for  his 
opponent,  and  does  not  fear.  (8)  They  fight  by  the  water's  edge. 
(9)  In  the  first  encounter  they  both  break  their  swords;  they  con- 
tinue the  fight  on  foot.  (10)  Thus  they  keep  up  the  struggle  for  a 
long  time,  dealing  each  other  severe  blows  until  both  are  weary. 

(11)  Finally  the  young  man  cuts  off  the   heathen's  head,  which 

(12)  he  takes  up  and  carries  off.  (13)  The  people  of  the  city 
come  to  meet  him  "with  a  fair  procession."  (14)  The  lady-ruler 
receives  him  in  person,  and  at  once  offers  to  marry  him  and  give 
him  control  of  her  land.  (15)  He,  however,  is  obliged  to  refuse 
and  depart  from  her.^ 


1  Child,   Four   Old  Plays,  p.  58 ;    Pollard,  English  Miracle  Plays,  etc.,  pp. 

i3off. 

2  Child,  Ballads,  Pt.  VI,  421-23. 

8  We  may  also  compare  with  LD's  fight  with  Lampart  (1681  ff.),  sts.  27-29, 
31,  of  Hugh  Spencer^ s  Feats  in  France,  Version  B,  Child,  Pt.  VI,  280;  see  par- 
ticularly LD,  I705ff. 


APPENDIX. 


PROPER  NAMES  IN  LE  BEL  INCONNU.i 


1.  Adant,  2167. 

2.  Agolans  (rois  d'Escoce),  1814,  5159. 

3.  Aguillars,  31. 

4.  Aguissans  (li  rois),  5815,  5867, 5871, 

5877,  5931;  cf.  Aguizans  (rois 
d'Escoce),  5372;  Aguisel  {\q  x.o\) , 

5971- 

5.  Aies  (land  of  Elin?),  521,  960,  iioo, 

1 120,  1 149,  1 165,  1 183,  1 193, 
1213;     Sire    des,    503 1;     cil  de, 

5915- 

6.  Alixandre  (gold  of),  3419. 

7.  Almauie,  3479. 

8.  Amangons  (rois),  47,  5162,   5172, 

5452,  5735.  5747.  6016. 

9.  Ample  bois  (dus  de  1'),  5399. 

10.  Aqttins  d^  Orbie,  50. 

11.  Ares  (rois),  42. 

12.  Artti{s),  15,  32,  83,  251,  406,  410, 

475'  479.  "77.  i455.  1785.2075, 
2690,  2881,  3205,  3213,  3287, 
3332,  3378,  3580,  3854.  4882, 
4965,  4985,  5012,  5153,  5440, 
5472,  5497,  5801,  5809,  5861, 
5981,  6000,  6004,  6067,  6072. 

13.  Atels  (le  roi.  Tors  li  fius  de),  5487. 

B 

14.  Baladi{n)gan{t)  (li  valles  de),  46, 

5408,  5548,  5561. 

15.  Balant  (Brus  de),  5562. 


16.  Ban  Regomer  (li  rois),  5384. 

17.  Bans  de  Gomertel  (rois),  5737. 

18.  Baradigan  (li  rois  de  —  Caraan — ), 

5380. 

19.  Baudris,  5606. 

20.  Beduiers,  37,  61,  105,  109,  II9. 

21.  Beduer  de  Normendie,  5480. 

22.  Bel  fil,  124. 

23.  Bel  leus,  1488. 

24.  Blances  Mains  (la  fee  as),  321 1, 

3650,  3878,  5111  (?). 

25.  Bliblis,  4260. 

26.  Blioblieris,  333,  431,  459,  517,  535, 

824,  1201,  5029,  5913. 

27.  Blonde  Esmeree,   3638,  3804,  3842, 

4963,  5466,  5793,  6002,  6009, 
6053,  6066. 

28.  Braimant,  3013. 

29.  Bretaingne,  3484,  3569,  3632,  5736. 

30.  Bretons  (les),  5695,  5762,  5767. 

31.  Bruians   des  Illes,  5454;    (li    rois) 

5601,  5605,  5619,  5654,  5961, 
6017. 

32.  Brus  de  Balant,  5562. 

33.  Sues  de  Gonefort,  35. 


34.  Cadoalens  (li  rois),  5657. 

35.  Cadoc  (le  roi),  5694,  5702,  5708. 

36.  Caraan  (rois  de  Baradigan),  5381. 

37.  Carados,  44. 

38.  CaraeSf/^i. 


1  Those  numbered  in  black-faced  type  are  also  in  LD, 
243 


-44 


Appendix. 


39.  Carentins,  44. 

40.  Cartre  (Gervis  de),  36. 

41.  Catehtiels,  54S6. 

42.  tX/4)(/r//(V/,  II,  2691. 

43.  Cil  <>  la  cote  matitaillie,  49. 

44.  Clarie,  S77,  1216. 

45.  CoHiirins  iV IllattJe,  5603. 

46.  ConsiiintinobU,  4667. 

47.  Cortiouailh,  1844,  3010,  5394,  5448, 

5594- 

D 

48.  Dius,  8,  308,  310,  312,  etc. 

49.  Dinaus,  43. 

50.  Durains  (roi),  5428. 

51.  Dunelrie  (Geldras  li  rois  de),  5390. 

52.  Do  (Gifles  li  fius).     See  Gifles. 

E 

53.  Elaine^  4258. 

54.  Elemagne  cite  (roi  de),  5848. 

55.  Elias  (li  dus),  5414. 

56.  Elins  (li  blans,  Sire  des  Aies  (?)), 

521,  959- 

57.  Etiaud  (rois),  38. 

58.  Enee,  4262. 

59.  Eoars  (li  biaus),  48. 
Efire  (?),  5219. 

60.  Erec,  li  fius  Lac,  39. 

61.  Erec  d^Estregales,  5479. 

62.  Erians,  36. 

63.  Escoce,  1813,  1828,  5372,  5867. 

64.  Espai{n)gne,  3485,  5760. 

65.  Esqes  d^Estrans,  50. 

66.  Estregales  (Erec  d'),  5479. 

67.  Eurains,  3341. 


68.  Eineposterne  (Grahelens  de),  5424. 

69.  Elore    (le    due    de   France),    5482, 

5872. 

70.  Floriens,  34. 

71.  France  (Flore  le  due  de),  5872. 

72.  Franfois,  5482. 

73.  Frise  (bon  ceval  de),  5780. 


82 


Gale  li  cals,  5162,  6020  {ca  14/(7), 
41). 

Gal{l)es,  3358,  3431,  3813,  4964, 
5123,  5129,  6079. 

Galoain  (le  rice  conte),  5775. 

Galigans,  2485. 

Gandelus,  5432. 

Gascont,  1699. 

Gaste  cite,  1224,  2751,  3363. 

Gaudins  (li  rois  d'lllande),  5444; 
cf.  le  roi  Gaudi,  5617. 

Gauvains  (li  nies  Artu),  37,  102, 
261,  266,  3190,  3200,  3209,  5010, 
5 1 10,  5139,  5154,  5158,  5472, 
5477.  5772;  li  cortois,  93;  li 
dials,     3483;      dans     Gauvains, 

3334- 
.    Geldain  (li  rois),  5725,  5749. 

Geldras  (li  rois  de  Dunebrie),  5390. 
.   Gervis  de  Cartre,  36. 
6^?;?^j  (li  fius  Do),  1788,  1789,  1795, 

1S08,    1820,    1824,    (D'eu  (?)) 

5035.  5964.  6017. 
Giglains,    3207,    3224,    3227    (104 

times). 
,   Gohenet  (li  rois  Hoel  de),  5376. 
Gomertel  (Bans  de),  5737. 
Gorhout  (Gormans  de),  5434. 
Germans  (de  Gorhout),  5434. 
Grahelens   de   Eineposterne    (freres 

de  Guingamer),  5424. 
Graies  (li  bons  chev.  de),  522, 1099, 

mo,  1119,  1194. 
Gramadone   (ridden   by  Celui  des 

Aies),  II 23. 
Gringair^s,  (roi)  father  of  the  en- 
chanted princess,  173,  3283,  3948, 

_5I93- 
(?).    Gue   Perillous,  319,    533,   997, 
1202,  5914. 
Guingamer  (freres  de  Grahelens  de 

F.),  5426. 
Guinglains  (see  Giglains). 


Appendix. 


245 


98.  Guinlains  {de  Tintaguel),  51. 

99.  Guivres  (li  rois  :  qui  ot  amenes  les 

Irois),  5388-9;   li  sire  des  Irois, 

5729- 

100.  Gunes  (nies  d'Olrecestre),  5476. 

H 

101.  Haute  Montaigne  (cil  de  la),  5418. 

102.  Helie,   193,   719,    814,  829,   1000, 

1003,  1031,  1220,  1827,  1852, 
1929.  1975.  2284,  2292,  2335, 
2681,  3391,  3402,  4895. 

103.  Helin   (de  Graies  ?),  mo,  I194- 

5,  1214;  cf.  1 1 19. 

104.  Hoet  (li  rois  de  Gohenet),  5376, 

5484,  5595,  5656,  5668. 

105.  Horels  (li  rois),  34. 

106.  Hungrie,  4150. 


107.  Illande  (Gaudins,  li  rois  d'),  5445; 

(Condrins  d')  5603. 

108.  Ille  Noires  (sire  de  1'),  5423. 

109.  He  d'Or,  1914,  3653,  3773,  3886, 

3902,  5228. 
no.  Irois  (Guivres  li  Sire  des),  5389, 

5729- 
III.  Isex  la  blonde,  4260  (cf.  5492). 


112.  Jhesus,  2167. 

K 

113.  Kakadist,  5398. 

114.  Kais,   li   senescals,   53,    63,  5161, 

5574,  6019. 


115.  Lac  (Erec  li  fius),  39. 

116.  Lais  hardis  de  Cornouaille,  5394. 

117.  Lampars,  2501,  2564,  2576,  2590, 

2598,   2658,    2662,   2680,  2682, 

2687,  2702,   2721,    2737,  2764, 

2772,   2823,   3402,    3505,  5470, 
5790,  5795,  5964,  6019. 


118.  Lasselos   (Lancelot)   dou  Lac,  40, 

5412. 

119.  Lavine  de  Lombardie,  4261. 

120.  Libiaus  Desconneus,  131,  201,  277, 

etc.  (56  times). 

121.  Libnus,  5496. 

122.  Limors,  3889. 

123.  Lindezie  (Yvains  li  rois  de),  5369, 

5659- 

124.  Lombardie  (Lavine  de),  4261, 

125.  Londres,  5040,  6001,  6007,  6064. 

126.  Los  (freres  d'Artu),  33. 

M 

127.  Mabons,  3321,  3342,  3460,  4904. 

128.  Mainet,  301 3. 

129.  Malgiers  li  Gris,  2171. 

130.  Marcel  (le  cors  saint),  1605. 

131.  Margerie,  1639,  1642,  1684,  1809. 

132.  Marie  (mere  de  Deu),  2645. 

133.  Mars  (li  rois),  47;    (de  Cornou- 

aille)  5448,  5593. 
Martin  (saint),  903. 
Melians  de  Lis,  5435. 
Montbesiee  (I'ille  de  la  —  dw^elling 

of  the  fee  who  made  the  mantle 

of  Bl.  Es.),  3264. 
Montesclair    (le   rois   de),    5212; 

(li  Sors  de)   5400,  541 1,  5517, 

5543- 
Mordrh    (li    rois,    freres    de    Se- 

grantes),  45,  5474,  5637. 
Morge  (la  fee),  4263. 
Morholt  (le  grant),  3011. 


134- 

135- 
136. 


137- 


138. 


139- 
140. 


N 


141.  Nantes  (Hoel  de),  5484. 

142.  Norgales  (li  riches  dus  de),  5478. 

143.  Normendie  (Beduer  de),  5480, 

O 

144.  Oduins  (li  cuens),  43. 

145.  Oirecestre  (Gunes  nies  de),  5476. 

146.  Olivier,  3012. 

147.  Orbie  (A(|uins  d'),  50. 


146 


Appendix. 


1 4S.    OrguiHous  de  la  Lande,  1^'J2,  5033, 
5915- 


149.  Paris,  4259. 

150.  Perce-jal  li  Galois,  5406. 

151.  Pua-les  (castel  as),  5208,  5360. 

R 

152.  Kenals  de  Bianjii,  6105. 

153.  Riders  (quens),  38. 

154.  Robcrs,    273,    505,    509,   etc.    (44 

times). 
^55-  ^°S'  ^'^''  (li  rois  de  la),  5386. 

156.  Pollatit,  3012. 

157.  Rose  espaiiie,  1709, 


158.  5a(?")^r^;«orj, 5905, 6020;  (brother 

of  Clarie)  879. 

159.  Sainte-Marie  (mostier),  4936. 

160.  Salebrant  (Willaumes),  523,  961, 

1197. 

161.  Segranies{ixtx^%  At  Mordret),  5475. 

162.  Segures,  45. 

163.  Senaudon,  3361,  3822,  6078,  6085. 

164.  Sors  {de  Moutescler),  5400,  541 1, 

5517.  5528,  5536,  5543.  5549. 


165.  Table  Rconde,  222,  245,  5496. 

166.  Tesale,  2258. 

167.  Tidogolaiiis,  256. 

168.  Tintaguel  (home  of  Guinlains),  57. 

169.  Tors  (li  fius  le  roi  Ares,  Atels), 

42,  5487- 

170.  /"riVirm,  35,3011,5210,5488,5518, 

5S2i>  5530.  553i>  5541,  6018. 

171.  Truer  em   (li  quens  de),  5420. 

U 

172.  Uriens  (brother  of  Arthur),  33. 

V 

173.  Valcolor  (le  roce  de),  992. 

174.  Val{l)edon,  5209,  5211,  544I.5499» 

5980,  5998. 

W 

175.  IVillaumes    (de    Salebrant),   523, 

961-2,  1020,   1052,  1076,  1087, 
I 197-8. 

Y 

176.  yder(s)     (U    rois),     5430,    5460, 

5553,  5564,  5579- 

177.  Vvains  (li  rois  de  Lindezie),  5369, 

6018. 


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